Novak Djokovic stormed into the title round of the 2023 ATP Finals following a stunning 6-3, 6-2 win over Carlos Alcaraz which the World No. 1 described as his "best match of the tournament" so far.
Djokovic admitted that he wasn't sure how he was going to feel after three close matches but stated that "he came at the right time" to get past Alcaraz in the big semifinal.
The 36-year-old will be playing the finals of the year-end tournament for the ninth time as he seeks a record seventh title when he takes on home favorite Jannik Sinner on November 19.
"Best match of the tournament for me, without a doubt. I came at the right time really," Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
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Novak Djokovic, who was stretched to three sets by Holger Rune and Hubert Hurkacz before emerging triumphant, revealed that he felt the ball from the very beginning during his match against Alcaraz.
The Serb had also lost to Jannik Sinner in his second group match of the competition.
"After spending a lot of time on the court in the first three matches, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel tonight. This year I wasn’t maybe as sharp in the second and third group matches, particularly, but I think tonight from the very beginning I felt the ball well," he said.
A look into how Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in Turin
Novak Djokovic is one win away from a record seventh title at the ATP Finals after getting past Carlos Alcaraz in Turin. The Serb, who won the tournament four times on the trot from 2012 to 2015, registered his maiden win in 2008 while also reigning supreme last season.
Alcaraz hit the ground running with some incredible backhand winners in the opening game, but Djokovic held serve in the big semifinal. His serve was put to test though with the score at 2-2, but the Serb got the crowd on his side after outfoxing his opponent for a hard-fought hold.
The World No. 1, who seemed to be labouring harder to hold serve initially, seized control of the set to veer ahead at 5-3 even as Alcaraz seemed to lose his grip on the contest from that point on.
The two-time Grand Slam champion trailed 1-3 before his opponent stepped up the pressure but was unsuccessful in breaking Alcaraz's serve for a second time in the second set.
The Spaniard managed to get the better of the Serb in two marathon rallies but was unable to break his serve as the scorecard read 4-2 with the six-time champion closing in on yet another title-round clash at the ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz mesmerised the crowd as he drove Novak Djokovic around the court, but eventually, it was the 24-time Grand Slam champion who came out on top needing one hold of serve.
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