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FILE – Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, left, and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz pose for a photo ahead of the final of the men’s singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 16, 2023. Tennis is in a state of transition as the U.S. Open is set to begin on Aug. 28. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Based on the reactions on social media, it seems everyone in the world of tennis was riveted by Novak Djokovic’s victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the last tournament for both ahead of the U.S. Open.
It was a titanic, 3½-hour-plus showdown between the two titans of the men’s game at the moment — the third time they’ve played each other in Djokovic’s past three events, each on a different surface — and set the stage for what will be an expected meeting to determine the champion at Flushing Meadows, where play begins Monday and finishes on Sept. 10.
Last weekend’s contest at the hard-court Cincinnati Masters, in which Djokovic, who is 36, saved a championship point in the second set and Alcaraz, who is 20, saved four in the third before succumbing 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4), also served to symbolize the state of change the sport currently finds itself in, a year removed from Serena Williams’ farewell match in New York and Roger Federer’s retirement announcement soon thereafter.
Alcaraz is The Next Big Thing, the winner of the 2022 U.S. Open who grabbed his second Grand Slam title last month at Wimbledon by beating — yes, that’s right — Djokovic. And Djokovic, the owner of 23 major trophies, is the only member of The Big Three competing nowadays, what with Federer (who has 20) done and Rafael Nadal (22) out since January with a hip problem but eyeing a return for one last hurrah in 2024.
“For so many years, the game has been dominated by legends of the sport, but Father Time…
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