Novak Djokovic teamed up with John McEnroe to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Andre Agassi in an entertaining exhibition ahead of the 2024 US Open.
It was known for some time that these legends would meet on the tennis court before the US Open, and fans flocked to quickly buy tickets, and they certainly didn't regret doing so.
While both Djokovic and Alcaraz will be eyeing the trophy at the 2024 US Open, for McEnroe and Agassi it was a return to the courts where they once lifted the trophy.
The start of the match, of course lighthearted, was very one-sided. Agassi first miss a backhand, and then he couldn't catch a short ball from McEnroe that dropped just behind the net, as he and his young Spanish teammate went down 0-2.
Djokovic then challenged the eight-time Grand Slam champion to a 'backhand to backhand' rally, since both are known for their incredible qualities when it comes to the backhand side.
The Serbian was able to win that rally for his team, joking that winning that rally against Agassi 'felt better than winning gold' at the Paris Olympics. The two then engaged in another backhand to backhand rally, which the 24-time major winner seemingly won, but he overruled the 'in' call from the electronic line calling, saying the ball was 'out', giving the rival team a point.
McEnroe then showcased his volleying qualities, standing at the net like a wall and producing a superb winner to send his team up 4-1. Agassi joked multiple times during the exhibition that Alcaraz plays better when he 'watches him on TV' and after the 21-year-old missed a serve, the American hilariously dropped his racket to the floor in disbelief.
McEnroe then forced the young Spaniard to make a mistake in volley to volley rally, as the Serbian-American duo led already 5-1. Still, there was time to come back for the Spanish-American team, as they won the following two rallies 3-5, after which another funny situation occurred.
Alcaraz rushed to catch a short ball, but according to the umpire, he didn't get to it in time, as the call 'not up' came. His opponent, Djokovic, immediately remembered that this year's US Open should offer a video review, immediately telling his Wimbledon and Olympics final rival to challenge the call.
The video was shown, but the call stayed, as Djokovic and McEnroe went up 6-3 before increasing their lead to 7-3. Alcaraz and Agassi then went down already 4-9, after which they almost staged a sensational comeback.
First, the young Spaniard played a sensational drop volley, then, his spectacular speed allowed him to catch even more spectacular shot from Djokovic, before McEnroe missed an easy shot to make it 6-9.
Agassi then showed some vintage backhand skills with a beautiful winner down the line to decrease the deficit to 7-9, before Alcaraz saved another match point also thanks to a tweener, and Agassi sealed the point with a smash to make it 8-9.
In the end, the duo wasn't able to complete the comeback, as Djokovic and McEnroe were just too good, winning the match tie-break 10-8, as all four enjoyed the exhibition.
On top of this spectacular exhibition, with a mix of the past legends, one current legend, and one future legend, there were multiple other matches that fans got to witness during the Stars of the Open exhibition at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In a similar format, with one match tie-break being played, fans got to enjoy also some mixed doubles action. Iga Swiatek teamed up with Sebastian Korda, but the team of the World No. 1 player on the WTA Tour and young American was beaten by an all-Italian duo of Matteo Berrettini and Jasmine Paolini, 11-9.
Taylor Townsend had a really interesting mixed doubles partner, as she joined forces with Austrian-born German actor and model Boris Kodjoe, and expectedly, the duo wasn't able to overcome Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe, as the all-American duo won the match 10-6.
Fans at the Arthur Ashe Stadium got to witness even more legends on the court, as Gabriela Sabatini teamed up with Juan Martin Del Potro, taking on Caroline Wozniacki, who is still an active player, and Andy Roddick. It was again the duo of compatriots that won, this time Sabatini and Del Potro, 11-9.
Fans in New York will get to enjoy much more action during the Fan Week before the 2024 US Open starts with the main draw action on Monday, August 26th, 2024.
0 Comments