CNN
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Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) on Sunday to avenge his Wimbledon ultimate defeat and seize the Open and South West diploma in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Taking part in in his first event on American soil since 2021, the 36-year-old Serbian recovered from a set and a loss towards the world primary as he saved a championship level to assert his third Cincinnati Open title and ninety fifth ATP Tour. of his profession.
After the three-hour, 49-minute contest, which was the longest best-of-three set ultimate on the ATP Tour since 1990, Djokovic fell to the bottom for a number of seconds earlier than getting up and ripping off his shirt.
“Positively one of many hardest and most fun matches I’ve performed in a event,” an exhausted Djokovic mentioned after the match. “To be sincere, it felt like a grand slam ultimate much more than that. Each recreation we play towards one another goes a good distance.”
In what may very well be a preview of subsequent month’s US Open ultimate, Djokovic mentioned he hoped to play the 20-year-old “in just a few weeks in New York”, pausing momentarily earlier than including “for the gang”. I do not know, it would not be good.”
Alcaraz had the 23-time main champion on the ropes within the second set, main 4-3, earlier than a string of errors, together with 4 unforced errors, breathed new life into Djokovic.
The second set would go right into a tie break the place the Serbian saved the championship level to drive a decisive third set after profitable a 25-shot rally.
Within the third set, Djokovic didn’t make the most of a number of championship factors and the duo would enter one other tiebreak, during which Djokovic would emerge victorious.
“It is superb to play towards you, to share the court docket with you, to study from you,” Alcaraz advised Djokovic in the course of the trophy ceremony. “This match was very shut, however I discovered rather a lot from a champion such as you. So congratulations to you and your crew.”
Djokovic was taking part in his first event on American soil since his US Open ultimate loss to Daniil Medvedev in 2021. Djokovic shouldn’t be vaccinated towards Covid-19 and had already unable to enter the nation over the last two years.
Nonetheless, vaccine necessities for non-US vacationers have been lifted earlier this 12 months, permitting Djokovic to compete in Cincinnati.
Subsequent up for each gamers is the US Open, which begins on August 28 in New York. Djokovic can be trying to win his twenty fourth Grand Slam singles title and surpass Margaret Court docket as essentially the most of all time in each males’s and girls’s singles.