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Novak Djokovic avenged his Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz by beating the Spaniard in just under four hours to win the Cincinnati Open.<\/p>\n
The Serb survived match point in the second set before going on to win 5-7 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-4).<\/p>\n
Top seed Alcaraz beat Djokovic in five sets in\u00a0last month\u2019s Wimbledon final.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe feeling that I have on the court reminds me a little bit of when I was facing [Rafael] Nadal when we were at our prime,\u201d Djokovic said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve played too many matches like this in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Djokovic compared the draining win to his Australian Open final victory in 2012 when he defeated Nadal in five hours and 53 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach point is a hustle. Each point is a battle. You\u2019ve got to basically earn every single point, every single shot, regardless of the conditions. It\u2019s amazing to be able to experience that with him on the court,\u201d Djokovic added.<\/p>\n
The world number two moved ahead of Nadal in the all-time men\u2019s major list after winning his 23rd Grand Slam title at June\u2019s French Open, where he overcame Alcaraz in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Djokovic and Nadal have faced each other 59 times over the past 17 years, while Alcaraz has played just four matches against Djokovic and is tied with the 36-year-old at 2-2.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing playing against you, sharing the court with you, learning from you,\u201d said the 20-year-old Alcaraz, who was tearful after the defeat in Ohio on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis match was really close, but I learned a lot from a champion like you. So congratulations to you and your team.\u201d<\/p>\n
After missing out on match point in the second-set tie-break, Alcaraz found himself 5-3 down in the third, but he saved two match points to pull back to 5-4 before breaking Djokovic\u2019s serve to level the set.<\/p>\n
However, Djokovic went 5-4 up on Alcaraz\u2019s serve in the tie-break before winning the next two points to claim victory in three hours and 49 minutes \u2013 the longest best-of-three-sets final in ATP Tour history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis rivalry just gets better,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cIt gets better and better. [He\u2019s an] amazing player. Tons of respect for him. For such a young player to show so much poise in important moments is impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, three sets today, but almost four hours. You just have to put your hats down to a guy like that. He plays so maturely, handles the pressure so well for a 20-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot forget how young he is. That\u2019s something that is so impressive about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both players will be in action next week at the US Open where Alcaraz will attempt to defend his title, while Djokovic, bidding for a 24th Grand Slam win, returns after missing last year\u2019s tournament because of his Covid vaccination status.<\/p>\n
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