There were several reasons to believe that Novak Djokovic could, at the very least, complicate his match against Carlos Alcaraz.<\/p>\n
The first was that Alcaraz is not Jannik Sinner, so this wasn\u2019t a matchup that troubled Djokovic in the same way, so he entered it with a greater dose of confidence. After all, Nole had beaten him in their last two encounters, both of which could be described as traumatic defeats for Alcaraz. The first came in last year\u2019s Olympic final, but even more significant was Djokovic\u2019s win at the Australian Open less than nine months ago.<\/p>\n
Both of those losses were, from Alcaraz\u2019s perspective, somewhat unexpected and painful, and it was clear they might play a role in the psychology of this match. If there is someone who knows how to make him nervous, impatient, and vulnerable\u2014to the point where he behaves even unsportsmanlike, something he rarely does\u2014it is Djokovic. On paper, Alcaraz was the (heavy) favorite in those last two matches, and it is evident that this was a burden he still didn\u2019t quite know how to handle. Given his age, that was hardly a fault. At the same time, the underdog role suited Djokovic perfectly.<\/p>\n
Another reason for optimism among Djokovic\u2019s supporters, or simply those who were hoping for another epic duel, was the fact that Nole had two full days of rest before the semifinal. That wasn\u2019t the case ahead of his matches against Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, a detail he himself highlighted before this match. Djokovic needed to come in relatively healthy and fresh if he was to have any chance at all, and this time it seemed like it might finally be the case. Lately, at Grand Slams, that had rarely happened, and it was clear that without it, he had no chance whatsoever.<\/p>\n
So those were the reasons for optimism, and Djokovic did hold his own for a while and created some chances. He led 3\u20130 in the second set and could have, for example, played a better tie-break there. However, overall, Alcaraz was simply too good. He has matured since their last two meetings and, it can be said, is now just that little bit better of a player.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always knew what he could do with the racquet, but the truth is that mentally he\u2019s stronger than ever, above all in terms of concentration and being consistently solid,\u201d his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, said a few days ago. \u201cI think at this tournament, he\u2019s starting to show how great his potential might be. (\u2026) He\u2019s making five, six, maybe seven unforced errors per set, and I think that\u2019s the biggest difference compared to previous tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n