Alcaraz beat Nadal and Djokovic in a row to reach the Madrid final!

In my previous post, I described how I felt when watching Nadal's game as "excitement mixed with uneasiness, nervousness mixed with unknown expectations." Last night's djokovic game, my emotions were completely dominated by tension.

6-7 (5) 7-5 7-6 (5), all three sets, 3 hours and 34 minutes, 19-year-old Alcaraz beat world number one Djokovic. "It's a game to enjoy. Despite the tension, despite reaching the semi-finals, despite winning 7-6 in the decider... But I enjoyed the game. I didn't laugh until I won the last point. Alcaraz said.

With this victory, Alcaraz became the 12th player to beat Nadal and Djokovic in a row in the same tournament. Previous feats were achieved by Naldian, Ferrer, Roddick, Davydenko, Sodrin, Ljubic, Federer, Wawrinka, Del Potro, Tim, Medvedev. However, Alcaraz was the first player to beat Nadal and Djokovic in clay tournaments in a row.

"It's a spectacular feeling and I'm very happy to be in a race like this, to be able to beat Rafa yesterday and to beat world number one today." Alcaraz said.

Djokovic, on the other hand, has not yet won the title this year. For Nadal and Djokovic, who have not yet won the clay title this year, the goal of the two is obviously to adjust the best form at the French Open, with Roland Garros being the most important battleground.

"Congratulations to Alcaraz, he has a good control of his mood and rhythm. It's impressive for someone his age to be able to play so maturely and bravely, and he deserves the win. Djokovic said.

Alcaraz had just celebrated his 19th birthday during the Madrid Masters, which allowed him to constantly set various records for the youngest on the Tour. After winning the title in Miami, he became the youngest champion of the event. Prior to last night's match, Alcaraz was the youngest final four player at the Madrid Masters.

At the beginning of the game, Alcaraz broke the opponent and took a 2-0 lead. In the 7th set, Djokovic broke back and chased the score to 4-4. The two sides then secured serves to reach the tiebreaker, with Djokovic taking four consecutive sets at 6-2. After wasting three consecutive set-ups, Djokovic eventually won the first set 7-6.

After entering the second set, the two sides saved their own serves in the first 11 sets, and Djokovic fluctuated in his own unavoidable serve at 5-6, conceding three consecutive points to give Alcaraz three consecutive set points. After saving one set, Djokovic lost the second set 5-7 as the two sides entered the tiebreaker.

The tiebreaker game was rather tense and anxious. The first climax came in Djokovic's second serve, with a total of five end-of-set ties between the two sides, with Djokovic saving a thrill after saving three break points. The next two sides continued to hold their own serves, and finally fought 6-6 in the first 12 sets, once again entering a brutal seven-stealing battle.

Alcaraz, who took the lead, achieved a mini-break on the opponent's first serve. Djokovic broke back in the 5th point and then Alcaraz scored two consecutive match points at 6-4. After saving one match point, Djokovic lost the tiebreaker's seven sets 5-7.

From the technical statistics after the game, Alcaraz had 51 winning points, while Djokovic had only 24, which shows that Alcaraz played more aggressively and was very efficient in attack. Throughout the game, Alcaraz's forehand performance was particularly prominent, with a total of more than 30 forehand winning points, which left Djokovic in a passive defensive state at many times.

Commenting on the technical and tactical performance of the match, Alcaraz was very modest, "The score is actually very close, he has the opportunity to break at the end of the second set. In addition, the grab seven in the first set is also very close. Honestly, I don't know what makes the difference. ”

The young Alcaraz excelled in almost all aspects of the technical process and saw no obvious shortcomings. Not only that, but he also played very wisely. After back-to-back victories over Nadal and Djokovic, Alcaraz summed up the differences between the two opponents. "To beat Rafa, you have to have a really good backhand and play aggressively, and if you keep running defensively, Rafa will eventually drag you down. When facing Novak, you have to pursue aggressiveness while maintaining stability. ”

After beating Djokovic, Alcaraz became the youngest player to beat the current world number one since Nadal. Speaking about this major victory, Alcaraz said meaningfully: "Djokovic is the best because he is currently the number one in the world. I've beaten him, there are eight guys left in front of me, and I'm going to be the best one in the world. ”

At 12:30 a.m. Beijing time tomorrow, Alcaraz will compete with Zverev for the title of the Madrid Masters. If he wins, Alcaraz will win his fourth title of the year and the second Masters. To avoid punching in the face, I usually don't like to predict the outcome of a match. But this time I wanted to make a bold prediction and support Alcaraz to win the championship.

So, who do you think will win the championship? What do you think Alcaraz's year-end world rankings will be this year? (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus Yunshu)