Carlos Alcaraz set aside his on-court rivalry with Novak Djokovic and sent a wholehearted congratulatory message after the Serbian's historic triumph at the 2023 US Open.
Alcaraz and Djokovic entered the event as the top colossal favorites for the championship, having battled each other in the last Grand Slam final at Wimbledon just two months earlier - a tournament which Alcaraz won by recording a statement win over the 36-year-old Djokovic.
And in the final warmup tournament before the big battleground in New York, it was Djokovic who landed a considerable knockout punch on Alcaraz, avenging his defeat at Wimbledon by winning the longest best-of-three final in ATP history in the Cincinnati Masters.
Alcaraz and Djokovic were projected to meet in the 2023 US Open final - a matchup that had every tennis fan licking their lips in anticipation. But Russia's Daniil Medvedev never read the script, putting the exclamation point on Alcaraz's title defense with a rousing win in the semifinal.
Djokovic held his side of the bargain, pulling off a late-night escape from two sets down against Laslo Djere in the third round and cantered to the final where he confronted Daniil Medvedev in the final. The second-seeded Djokovic exorcised his demons from two years ago when he stumbled at the last hurdle with history in sight.
This time, Djokovic made sure, to produce a masterful performance to get the job done. The victory earned him his fourth US Open and a 24th major overall. His place among tennis immortals was pretty much settled, and now vying to reach greatness levels comparable to other sportsmen.
Tributed followed, by Medvedev, and many other fellow pros, including his newest rival - 20-year-old Alcaraz, who Djokovic dethroned from the World No. 1 ranking during the tournament. But that didn't dampen Alcaraz's mood and spirits in extending his warmest congratulations.
"Many congrats @djokernole."
0 Comments