Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz: The Best Tennis Match of the Moment

This Friday, tennis fans will have the opportunity to contemplate what is probably the best match that this sport can currently offer us. In the elegantly renovated Philippe Chatrier, and in what resembles an anticipated final, the two best rackets of the moment will face each other: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Although both have reached this penultimate round conceding a single set, the Serbian’s path has been much more expensive than that of the Murcian. And even more so if we look at the previous round of the quarterfinals which, when it comes to visualizing what paths tomorrow’s match can take, is, by proximity, the one that can give us the most reliable information.

While the Spanish player was astonished by the ease with which he got rid of Stefanos Tsitsipas -for a clear 6-2, 6-1 and 7-6, offering an image of intractability, especially during the first two sets-, the Balkan he had to work much harder to defeat the Russian Káren Kachanov in a match that consumed three hours and thirty-eight minutes in four sets, and in which we saw, although only in the first two sleeves, how the Serbian harbored certain doubts and how it lacked the consistency to which we are accustomed.

So, what can tomorrow’s meeting bring us? It is clear that Novak is somewhat far from the best version of him, the one that we were able to enjoy (it is true that we were not) in the years 2011 and 2015, among some others. But even so, no tennis player should ever forget what a great champion he is or underestimate what it means to have him on the other side of the court. Whoever faces him must know that he will be willing to fight until the last ball and that his combative spirit can allow him to adapt at any time and turn the situation around as, in fact, it happened in his last game. . After appearing somewhat lacking in energy and certainly erratic early in the match, he took advantage of the first signs of weakness in his opponent. He clung to the game and ended up offering us a high level of play.

Carlos, for his part, arrives full of confidence and in excellent shape, both physically and technically. The feeling that our countryman gives me is similar to the one I had in 2003 and 2004 with Roger Federer’s appearance on the circuit and his sovereignty over the players of his generation. His invincibility was so overwhelming that we had to wait for the next batch so that the Swiss would have to find himself in trouble.

I sense that the same thing is going to happen today, for a while, with Carlos Alcaraz.

I believe that this semifinal match will be somewhat more in the hands of the Spaniard, and that it will be Nole who will have to do his best to find a loophole through which to weaken him. If Djokovic tries to play aggressive and have great speed, he will probably find that his opponent’s speed is superior to his own; if, on the contrary, he plays a more consistent and somewhat conservative game, he will have to be very precise because, at the slightest hesitation, he will offer himself to the intensity of our player, who will not lose the opportunity to return a winning blow. But, I repeat, not even in the current circumstances should anyone rule it out. The match will undoubtedly be exciting and the winner will know that he has taken a big step to win the Musketeers Cup.

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