The reaction wasn’t quite proportionate to the occasion. Novak Djokovic fell on his back, stayed put for seconds, got up to hug his opponent, then ripped his shirt down to the middle and yelled with eyes shut. It resembled his 2012 Australian Open triumph celebration after beating Rafael Nadal, although this was the final of the Cincinnati Masters, among tournaments on the ATP Tour that Djokovic has stopped prioritising.
It was the guy across the net, the backdrop of their duel and the classic it turned into, however, that brought all of that out again for the 23-time Grand Slam champion. It had been just over a month since Carlos Alcaraz spectacularly stopped Djokovic going for his 24th major in the Wimbledon final, and so the Serb’s match point-saving 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) win against the young Spaniard last Sunday was an emotion-rousing reversal.
Tables have also turned around the duo’s storylines heading into the US Open that kicks off in New York on Monday. The 36-year-old Djokovic, back in the season-ending Slam after a year’s absence owing to his vaccination status, isn’t the standout hunted. Sharing that space with him now is Alcaraz, the 20-year-old defending champion who has climbed the ranking peak and collected a Wimbledon trophy since his world-announcing breakthrough at Flushing Meadows last year. As last year’s semifinalist Frances Tiafoe put it, Alcaraz is “definitely the guy to beat”.
Going by recent history, holding on to the title at Flushing Meadows has proven to be that much tougher. No one since Roger Federer in 2008 has managed to stitch together consecutive US Open men’s singles titles (the Swiss won five straight from 2004 to 2008), a sharp contrast to the bulky brush of winners in the other Slams; Djokovic at Wimbledon (2018-2022) and Nadal at French Open (2017-2022), for instance.
Alcaraz too has not been in this position of having to defend his territory before. It’s some turnabout from 12 months ago when the Spanish sensation, as the new kid on the block, took the first big step in his greatness-promising ride. That was an ever-smiling teen, in the absence of Big Brother Djokovic, going all the way in New York from being a point away from crashing out in the quarter-finals.
This is a two-time Grand Slam winner, who sobbed on court after losing in the Cincinnati final, expected to rise and deliver again. And do that maneuvering through a difficult half of the draw — on paper at least — that features 2021 winner Daniil Medvedev, the resurgent Alexander Zverev and a potential quarter-final rematch with Jannik Sinner. And do that carrying the added baggage of being the defending champion.
“Probably, but I try not to think about that,” said Alcaraz in his pre-tournament press conference about whether the tag brings with it extra pressure. “This week, this practice week, I try to do exactly the same thing that I did last year… I’m not going to focus on being the defending champion, the (ranking) points, whatever.”
Djokovic has no points to defend in New York, and only needs to get past the first round against Alexandre Muller on Monday to take the No.1 spot away from Alcaraz. The luck of the draw is also a lot kinder to him — Djokovic has in his half Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune, who haven’t had too much success at the US Open — as the Serb takes another shot at tying Margaret Court’s record of 24 Slams.
The last time Djokovic walked off the Arthur Ashe Stadium with a trophy in tow in 2018, he was on 14. The last time Djokovic walked into the Arthur Ashe Stadium two years ago, he had won 27 matches on the bounce in Grand Slams to be on the cusp of a rare feat last achieved by Rod Laver. Finding himself one step short of a Calendar Slam (winning all four majors in the same year) but lost on mental, physical and emotional reserves, Djokovic, unshakable until then, wilted in straight sets against Medvedev in the 2021 final.
This season, after winning the Australian and the French Open, Djokovic’s juggernaut was halted a lot sooner, by a much younger challenger and in the most unexpected of stages. The defeat to Alcaraz going for his fifth straight Wimbledon crown would have pinched Djokovic, but also pressed a renewed challenge button in the late stages of his career. Which, going by his rallying victory and emotional outpour beating Alcaraz at Cincinnati, has only renewed his hunger.
“I love competition,” Djokovic told reporters in New York. “I think the more you find yourself in those particular circumstances where you’re experiencing adversity on the court… that’s normally the best possible opportunity for you to grow mentally from that, to learn something.”
Djokovic has seemingly learnt from the Wimbledon adversity. Alcaraz has rapidly developed from the 2022 US Open astonishment. Their newfound riveting rivalry could unlock another gem in two weeks’ time at this US Open.
However, as Medvedev, Sinner and a few other hopefuls hovering around Flushing Meadows would like to believe, there’s plenty of tennis to be played before that.
