Beating Novak Djokovic over five sets is one of the ultimate tests in any sport, and a challenge Carlos Alcaraz bluntly admitted he is not yet ready for.
It involves not just the physical examination but one of the mind, and last night he conceded the latter factor was behind their French Open semi-final petering out in disappointing fashion.
The match had been a Parisian feast until early in the third set, when the strain of the occasion finally told on the 20 year-old Spaniard, whose body became riddled with cramp.
From there it became a procession, with Djokovic reaching a 34th Grand Slam final, tying for the overall record with Chris Evert and poised to move ahead of Rafael Nadal to 23 titles.Â
After a 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 victory he was left awaiting the winner of the second semi-final between Germany’s Alex Zverev and Norway’s Casper Ruud.
Novak Djokovic stands on the brink of his 23rd Grand Slam title after beating Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz put up a good fight in the opening two sets, but succumbed to struggles with cramp
Later Alcaraz did not disguise the fact that the aura of Djokovic got to him, in what was their first meeting at a Grand Slam.
‘It is not easy to play against Novak, you know. He’s a legend of our sport. If someone says that he goes onto the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies,’ said the Spaniard. ‘Playing a semi-final of a Grand Slam, you have a lot of nerves, but even more with facing Novak. I disappointed myself honestly, especially coming to this match with a great feeling, feeling great physically.’
There was no sugar-coating why he had seized up: ‘The tension of the match, I started really nervous. It was a really intense two sets, as well. I started to cramp in every part of my body, not only the legs. The arms, as well, every part of the legs.
‘Really good rallies, tough rallies, dropshots, sprints. It’s a combination of a lot of things. But the main thing was the tension, I have to take lessons from that experience.’
There should be sympathy for Alcaraz, although he has already done enough to show that his time will come.
‘I told him at the net he knows how young he is and that I’m sure he is going to win this title many times,’ said Djokovic.
By the time he had been reduced to half-pace in his movement, Alcaraz had again shown what all the fuss is about. Crowds at London’s Queen’s Club can see for themselves at the Cinch Championships the week after next.
But he has yet to learn to fully manage his emotions and they added a lethal ingredient when mixed with the physical exertions required to clinch a 77-minute set amid a febrile atmosphere inside the Court Philippe Chatrier.
Djokovic has seen it all before and therein lies what makes him superior. He knows how to manage each situation to his advantage and, for instance, walked off court at the end of the second set for six minutes to change clothes, while his young opponent stood waiting impatiently.
He is astute about what he can get away with and will have noticed afterwards that Alcaraz was soon trying to shake his hand about.
The turning point was, however, dramatic. At the end of the third set’s second game the Spaniard pulled up after trying to return serve and immediately had to stop the match.
The world No 1 was playing some brilliant points with only scattered errors facing Djokovic
The Serbian (right) reached his seventh final at Roland Garros almost by default in the final set
The rules are clear that in such circumstances, provided the physio believes it is a genuine case of cramp, the next game has to be forfeited as it does not qualify as a medical timeout. This is a rare occurrence and the crowd bellowed their disapproval once they saw the scoreboard showing 2-1.
It will be part of the learning process for Alcaraz, who fully contributed to some astonishing exchanges in an undulating second set.
One of the rallies produced a shot for the ages which came in the fourth game. Djokovic hit what looked like a volleyed winner with the Spaniard at the net, but somehow he outran it and scrambled back to pivot and hit a forehand pass. He is capable of such wondrous things, but the stage does not belong to him yet.
Djokovic will now face last year’s beaten finalist Casper Ruud, last year’s beaten finalist, who enjoyed a surprisingly easy passage when he overcame Alex Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.Â
