After coming back to the United States after 2 years, Novak Djokovic has been unstoppable at the Cincinnati Open. The Serbian star defeated Alexander Zverev in the semifinal of the tournament to advance to the finals.
Interestingly, fireworks were set off outside the stadium just as Djokovic got his match point. Some fireworks went off right when he was about to serve. Djokovic even turned to the crowd and said, “New Year’s came early.”
Fireworks tonight, fireworks expected tomorrow 🎆😉#CincyTennis @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/75qWwAcAdk
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 20, 2023
The veteran received his match point, and then there was a bang outside the stadium. A few fireworks went off at the very end of the match, interrupting the Serb as he prepared to serve for victory.
He faced another interruption at the beginning of his second match point. However, he secured the victory by serving for the match. After the game, he glanced at the camera and recalled the fireworks incident. After the match, Djokovic wrote on the camera: “Fireworks, yeah!!.”
Novak Djokovic signs the camera after beating Alexander Zverev:
“Fireworks, yeah”
What else would you sign when fireworks go off as you’re closing out the match? 😂🎆
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 20, 2023
In their first encounter since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, Djokovic and Zverev both performed at a high level during the semi-final. Djokovic found more consistency in his groundstrokes in the tie-break when he converted his 6th set point to take the lead after Zverev survived a 10-minute serving game at 4-5 in an exciting opening set. The Serb triumphed over Zverev in 7-6(5), 7-5, and advanced to the final.
Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz at Cincinnati Masters finals
The Cincinnati Masters 2023 championship match will feature World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz versus Novak Djokovic. The top two players have been pitted against one another three times in as many months.
The final encounter between Djokovic and Alcaraz in Wimbledon was absolutely memorable. Alcaraz won his first Wimbledon championship by defeating the four-time defending champion.
“It’s great. It’s amazing for the sport, No. 1 and No. 2 in the world facing each other again in the final of a big event,” Djokovic said after defeating Zverev, a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion. He concluded by admitting how he believed every tennis fan expected and wanted a rematch between him and Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic on facing Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati Final:
“It’s amazing for sport. The #1 & #2 in the world facing each other again in the final of a big event.. this is what I guess everyone wanted & expected at the beginning of the tournament. So here we are.” pic.twitter.com/GkRLfp4ZDg
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 20, 2023
According to ATP Tour’s head-to-head of both players, it looks like Alcaraz has the upper hand in the upcoming finale. Alcaraz has played in only 18 Masters 1000 tournaments, compared to Djokovic’s 38 matches. The 20-year-old gained as much impetus by winning Wimbledon as Novak does but now is Djokovic’s chance to respond.
The two biggest players in the world at the moment are Djokovic and Alcaraz, both of whom have played excellent tennis this season. It will indeed be interesting to find out if the 2023 Wimbledon champion is able to retain his spot, or if Djokovic will steal it from under his grasp.