Novak Djokovic overcame a match point and stifling heat to beat world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) and win the Cincinnati Open in a heart-pounding thriller Sunday.
— Novak Djokovic overcame a match point and stifling heat to beat world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) and win the Cincinnati Open in a heart-pounding thriller Sunday.
Djokovic collapsed on his back before tearing his shirt off after triumphing in the nearly four-hour contest to win his third title in Cincinnati and get revenge after his loss to Alcaraz in last month’s Wimbledon final.
« This was one of the exciting matches I’ve ever played in any tournament, » Djokovic, the winner of a men’s-record 23 Grand Slam titles, said during the postmatch trophy presentation. « It felt like a Grand Slam. »
With temperatures hovering near 90 degrees, the 36-year-old Djokovic survived the tournament’s longest men’s match since at least 1990 to become the oldest man to win the championship. Ken Rosewall was 35 when he won in 1970.