Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic got his much-awaited revenge on Carlos Alcaraz. The two players locked horns in the final of the Cincinnati Open. It was one of the most anticipated finals of the year and Novak got the last laugh. Following that intense match, Alcaraz was seen crying into his towel, and he finally opened up about the reason he was so emotional.
The match turned out to be a very closely contested one. Neither spared the other player an inch throughout the game. However, this time Djokovic walked away with the title while leaving Alcaraz in tears.
Now the World number one has revealed the reason he cried after the match. Notwithstanding the result, Alcaraz said he was very proud of himself. He came very close to defeating one of the best players in the world, so he left the court feeling happy. “I left the court very, very happy with what I did,” said Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz says he doesn’t know why he cried after the loss to Novak Djokovic:
“I feel proud of myself, that’s the truth. I was talking & I don’t know why I was crying bc I fought until the last ball. I almost beat 1 of the all-time greats of our sport. It’s crazy to talk… pic.twitter.com/zaXIUjmEah
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 21, 2023
The Cincinnati Open final was being touted as the rematch of the year. This was Novak Djokovic’s chance to avenge his loss, and he did it in style. Carlos had humbled Djokovic at the Wimbledon summit clash. Novak had then called Carlos the ‘best of 3 worlds’ after the match.
Cincinnati was Djokovic’s first tournament in the US in 2 years, due to covid restrictions. Djokovic had a point to prove and he did before the US Open begins next week. With this win, Novak is now breathing down Alcaraz’s neck in the ATP rankings.
Novak Djokovic gets closer to Carlos Alcaraz in rankings
Alcaraz’s top spot is under threat from Djokovic. With the win at Cincinnati, Novak has managed to close the gap between himself and Carlos Alcaraz. The 23-time Grand Slam champion is very close to reclaiming the top spot.
Since Alcaraz is the defending champion, he will not gain any points. As for Djokovic, his 3rd Cincinnati trophy has put him just 20 points behind Alcaraz. Djokovic now only needs to win the first-round match at the US Open to become the top-ranked player once again.
Top10 ranking ATP
1) Alcaraz 🇪🇸: 9815
2) Djokovic 🇷🇸: 9795
3) Medvedev 🇷🇺: 6260
4) Rune 🇩🇰 (+1, BR): 4790
5) Ruud 🇳🇴 (+2): 4715
6) Sinner 🇮🇹: 4645
7) Tsitsipas 🇬🇷 (-3): 4580
8) Rublev 🇷🇺: 4515
9) Fritz 🇺🇸: 3605
10) Tiafoe 🇺🇸: 3050— giovannipelazzo (@giovannipelazzo) August 21, 2023
The ranking has shuffled a little. Holger Rune from Denmark has achieved his career-best ranking of four. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas has slipped 3 places and now sits at number seven.
Djokovic has historically performed well at the US Open, winning the Slam thrice in his career. Novak has been in spectacular form this year so far, winning the Australian and French Open already. While Alcaraz may have thwarted his efforts to win Wimbledon, Djokovic has a good chance to win his 24th Slam. The US Open begins on August 28th.