"I don't blame him for anything": Alcaraz doesn't blame Djokovic after continued fist bumps despite cramp issues

Novak Djokovic once again earned himself more than a few booes after he celebrated points after Alcaraz's cramping issues but the Spaniard had no issues with that.

Alcaraz is a tremendous competitor and he understands that part of tennis well. He has a similar hunger to the one Djokovic has as you don't really get to their level unless you don't have a maniacal obsession with tennis. Asked about Djokovic celebrating points following his cramping problems, Alcaraz dismissed it as nothing but trying to remain focused in a tricky situation:

“I don’t blame him for anything. He had to close the match. It’s challenging to play against someone who isn’t at 100%. While they may experience a downturn, you can’t afford to have that downturn and instead must find a way to close the match."

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Finishing a match is never easy according to the Spaniard so everything that Djokovic was doing made perfect sense to him:

“Clenching your fists helps maintain intensity and allows you to close the match as quickly as possible. I don’t blame Djokovic for doing that. The truth is, if I were facing someone who was injured or not playing at their best, and I experienced a slump, I would likely do the same. Closing a match is never easy.”

Bathroom break drama

There was some talk about Djokovic opting to use a bathroom break at an interesting time in the match with some reporters suggesting that it was gamesmanship from Djokovic. Alcaraz once again dismissed it believing that it didn't change anything in the way the match was going:

“Many people may want to create controversy and claim that Novak went to the bathroom to stop the game or break the rhythm, but no, not in my case. I don’t believe it influenced anything."

The Spanaird mostly blamed himself for the defeat explaining that he crumbled under the pressure.

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