Novak Djokovic survived a very intense match against Carlos Alcaraz that finished on a lighter note following Alcaraz's cramps.
It was a very nervous start from the Spaniard who admitted it after the semifinal meeting at the 2023 Roland Garros. He managed to settle in in the second set taking it but exerted a lot of energy and started to cramp in the next set. That basically finished the match as Djokovic cruised towards the win.
It was a ruthless finish from Djokovic, something Alcaraz defended himself claiming he would have done the same. There were murmurs of a possible retirement but Alcaraz opted against it believing it a great shame to do so in a grand slam semi-final.
Djokovic's win is technically considered an upset as Alcaraz was the 'favourite before the match'. It's something Djokovic said before the event as well but it's not something that former player Rennae Stubbs agrees upon. She was quite stunned to see bookmakers favouring Alcaraz by a good margin against a player who won 21 more grand slams in his career.
For all the people out there saying Novak got "lucky" that Carlos cramped. THIS IS NOT LUCK! It's called playing 100s of these types of matches & learning how to monitor ur anxieties, emotions, nerves & body. It takes time to learn, especially against the greats & over 5 sets.
Stubbs is right because you can always hear tennis players and former players highlight the best of five formats as something completely different than the best of three one. There are a lot of nuances to how you approach the match in order to come out on top. Djokovic knows that better than Alcaraz and it proved crucial.
Said on my show yesterday, I couldn't believe a guy that's won 22 majors, was the underdog. I know Carlos is exceptional but to beat Novak over 5 sets in a slam has been a daunting task for ANYONE! So the bookmakers were NUTS on this! Same odds ok but underdog, ah hell NO!
0 Comments