Carlos Alcaraz fully deserved his four-set victory against Novak Djokovic in today’s final.
But John McEnroe still noticed something he would have done differently.
Even with the trophy now in his hands, there was a moment during the match when it looked like the opportunity might slip away.
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Djokovic took the first set comfortably, putting Alcaraz under real pressure from the start.
It was what happened after that first set that caught McEnroe’s attention, particularly how Alcaraz was able to turn things around by changing his approach.
Where Carlos Alcaraz went wrong at the start of the final
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
The American, speaking live on ESPN, praised the Spaniard for the courage and strength he showed throughout the match.
He nevertheless criticized the initial lack of energy, saying: “I think it was actually the type of match he should have played at the start.
“Maybe he was affected by that five-and-a-half hour match in the heat, and he wasn’t able to execute that, but as his body loosened up, he started doing his thing, and obviously, in the end, it paid huge dividends.”
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Patrick McEnroe later praised Alcaraz’s tactical awareness, saying: “Yeah, I mean, his tactical awareness is exceptional, I think. You have to give him and his team credit for that.”
“We know the shooting ability. We pretty much know the pure talent. We saw his courage, his determination in that fight against Zverev with the heat, with the cramps.
“But I think we saw a very high tennis IQ. We talked about it during the match from this man, so now he’s already 22, he has seven majors.”
In his post-match speech, Alcaraz thanked Djokovic. This followed an interesting speech from the Serb himself, who suggested he might not return to Melbourne.
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Carlos Alcaraz got lucky against Novak Djokovic
It’s fair to say that Carlos Alcaraz had a bit of fortune on his side in the Australian Open final.
Novak Djokovic, battling fatigue from a long semi-final two days earlier, started well but could not maintain the intensity. This deposit gave Alcaraz an opening, and he made sure to take it.
The Serb won the first set, controlling the game with his forehand and forcing Alcaraz to continue. But as the match progressed, his level dropped noticeably.
Alcaraz’s energy never wavered and it ultimately proved decisive.
It certainly wasn’t his best performance, but he did enough to cross the finish line. However, there is no doubt that he benefited from Djokovic’s disappearance as the match progressed.
