2023-09-07 09:30:38
Barcelona This year the tickets for the US Open final were already more expensive than a year ago. “Everyone wants to see a final between Alcaraz and Djokovic,” former champion John McEnroe said on ESPN television. At major tennis tournaments, you buy tickets to the finals without knowing who will play. Everyone has their preferences, but this year the dream final is between the world number 1 and world number 2. Between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Between the veteran Serbian champion, the man with the most Grand Slam titles in history, and the young man from Murcia, who is on the rise. At the moment, they have already reached the semi-finals. The Serbian will have it with the surprising young American Ben Shelton, and Alcaraz with the Russian Daniïl Medvédev, a hard bone to gnaw on.
Alcaraz, who has lost only one match in the five matches played so far in this Grand Slam, defeated the German Alexander Zverev this morning in three sets (6-3, 6-2 and 6-4) and two and a half hours . This Friday he will face Medvédev (number three in the world) and, if he wins, he will be in the final on Sunday. “I feel really comfortable playing on this court, playing in New York. I’m showing my best level,” Alcaraz said after the match. “I’m feeling great, strong physically and mentally. I’m ready to have a great battle with Medvedev in the semi-final,” he added. It will be the last obstacle before the duel with Djokovic, counting on the latter to prevail against Shelton first.
Tennis needs great rivalries to grow the business. When Nadal and Federer saw each other, more business volume moved, for example. Then it happened with Djokovic and Nadal. Now, the Serbian plays for glory with Alcaraz. Now, these rivalries sometimes make fans cringe, as they know all too well in New York, since, for example, the dream final between Nadal and Federer on Center Court Arthur Ashe never happened. Almost two decades of seeing each other and only seeing each other once in the US tournament. And it wasn’t in the final, of course. Now everyone is rubbing their hands imagining the dream final, since all the duels between Alcaraz and Djokovic have been worth it. In fact, the cheapest tickets for the final were sold for 700 euros. The most expensive climb over 30,000 euros.
It was precisely one year ago in New York that Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title, aged 19. In fact, all four Grand Slams currently have these two players as reigning champions. Djokovic in Australia and Roland Garros, where he defeated Alcaraz, and the Murcian in the United States and Wimbledon, where he surprised the Serbian. In the last duel, in the final of the Cincinnati Open, the player from Belgrade prevailed. Djokovic, who this year has returned to the tournament in the neighborhood of Queen’s after two years without being able to be there because he was not vaccinated against covid-19, wants to recover this crown and, by the way, make it clear to Alcaraz that he is still in charge he Despite the loss at Wimbledon, it has been a good year for the Balkan player as he has overtaken Rafa Nadal as the player with the most Grand Slam titles of all time. But above all, it has been the season of consolidation of his rivalry with Alcaraz. “It’s incredible what we’re seeing, and without a doubt Djokovic and Alcaraz are the two players with the best chance of winning,” said John McEnroe, who admits that “it’s going to be a beautiful rivalry, although the question is how long it will last.” Always grumpy, McEnroe speaks a truth. Alcaraz is 20 years old and Djokovic, 36. Time plays in favor of the Spaniard, who was just three years old when the Serbian won his first Grand Slam.
And after the Serb, who will stand up?
Once Djokovic gets older, different players want to step up. The Russian Daniïl Medvédev, champion in 2021 in New York, is 26 years old and very talented, but he is also a bit fickle. Other younger players are consolidating, but without being at the level of Alcaraz. Men like the Norwegian Casper Ruud, a finalist a year ago against Alcaraz, or the Italian Jannik Sinner, who fell to the quarter-finals this year.
The present, however, will be these semifinals where both are favorites. If they meet in the final, it would be just their fifth duel. The previous four, with the exception of this year’s French Open semifinal, when Alcaraz was injured, have been close and entertaining. Their clash in this year’s Wimbledon final, the only time so far they have met in the final of a major tournament with the Murcian triumphing, was excellent. Their rivalry is great, but everyone knows it has an expiration date.
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