Alcaraz becomes first player to defeat Djokovic and Nadal on consecutive days on clay, reaches Madrid Open final after epic
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz continues to produce absolutely spell binding tennis as he reaches the Madrid Open final on home soil after an absolute epic against Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz becomes the first player to defeat Djokovic and his idol Rafael Nadal back-to-back on a clay court and part of a select group of players to do it overall.
A 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) win for the 19-year-old, he produced in a 3hr36 minute affair and will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev in the final.
Djokovic was 2-0 down in the opening set as Alcaraz was truly on fire including a superb kick serve and drop shot but the World No.1 began to take control from there.
As he produced an almost flawless set of tennis from there including a run of 21 straight points on serve letting out a huge roar befitting of the display on offer.
But Alcaraz looked to hit back and after holds of serve, Djokovic faced a break point after a superb drop shot. Only for Djokovic to rediscover his magic at the right time to level up at 3-3.
Another beautiful drop shot saw Alcaraz look to extend the lead to 4-3 and he did so as he looked for a setback. Djokovic started to get frustrated as he spurned an opportunity to break at 4-4 and a drop shot attempt which brought Alcaraz to the net saw him win that battle.
Alcaraz sat at the back of the court thinking the return from Djokovic was out but what ensued turned out to be a catalyst for the hold of serve as he produced a sumptuous volley en route to a 5-4 lead.
The crowd began to get to Djokovic as he handed Alcaraz a 30-0 lead but the Serbian found his way back to hold and make it 5-5.
A double fault and missed drop shot saw Djokovic handed another break opportunity from 40-15 up but Alcaraz overturned the pressure to make it 6-5.
From there, he sent to a decider and the Spanish crowd into raptures as they battled with drop shots before Alcaraz produced an exceptional winner from a tight angle to seal it.
Alcaraz went 2-1 up with holds of serve and had a chance at a break for 3-1 but Djokovic saved three break points and made it 2-2.
Alcaraz continued to edge ahead as Djokovic received an MTO but after that, it was a superb return from Djokovic who levelled up again from 15-40. The holds continued as Djokovic came from 0-30 to make it 4-4.
A trademark backhand down the line saw Djokovic turn the tables as he went 30-0 up on Alcaraz’s serve but again Alcaraz was there with his back against the wall as he produced a ripping forehand in response to a Djokovic backhand to serve for a 5-4 lead which he sealed.
Alcaraz again produced another exquisite forehand winner to end a 22 shot rally to bring up match point. Djokovic as usually with his never say die attitude produced a ripping ace to bring up deuce. He held advantage thrice but every time, Alcaraz continued to battle to attempt to finish it at 6-4.
Again though Djokovic’s nerve held as he took the racquet away from Alcaraz and sealed it at 5-5. But back came Alcaraz to sweep the next service hold to hold a 6-5 advantage. But Djokovic sent it all the way.
Alcaraz began the tiebreak with a superb volley to go 1-0 up and broke from there to go 2-0 up. He produced an expert backhand down the line for a 50th match winner at 3-1 up.
A backhand slice saw Djokovic though break back for 2-3 as he was serving for parity at 3-3 but another superb rally saw Alcaraz make it 4-2.
He went 5-3 up from there and was serving for a 6-3 lead but with the finishing line in sight he sliced it into the net as he tried to be careful and conservative. It was back on serve as a result at 4-5 but Alcaraz extended his advantage again and the crowd roared at 6-4 up as he brought up a second match point.
But another fine first serve took that chance again away from Alcaraz. But his first match point on his serve provided the tonic as he claimed it.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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