BY JAMES BECK
Who would have dreamed that Novak Djokovic would have been so great in this year’s Australian Open.
The 38-year-old Serbian did everything but defeat Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz turned out to be too good and too talented in the end.
The 22-year-old Spaniard knew Djokovic had even upset the seemingly unbeatable Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz obviously had a big job ahead of him if he was going to win his first Australian Open.
But the first set must have had fans wondering. Alcaraz was less than spectacular while winning only two games in the first set. Alcaraz’s game could have gone either way after that.
THE OLD ALCARAZ TOOK OVER
Alcaraz’s game came alive in the second set, looking like the real Alcaraz.
Drop shots, terrific court movement and coverage, and spectacular shot-making took over Alcaraz’s game as Djokovic lost some of the confidence he had shown in his victory over Sinner in the semifinals. Of course, spectacular play and entertainment for fans was nothing new for Alcaraz.
Alcaraz lost a total of only five games in the second and third sets as he dominated play and threatened to run away with the championship.
NOVAK FOUGHT UNTIL THE END
Djokovic didn’t go down easily as fans sat on the edge of their seats in the decisive fourth set. The two players split the first 10 games of the set for a 5-5 score, each holding service five times.
The stage was set for a tight finish, but Alcaraz was at the top of his game. He lost only one point in each of the last two games to cap a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory before Alcaraz went diving onto the cement with a victory and becoming the youngest player ever to win a career Grand Slam.
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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
