Carlos Alcaraz had a good 2023 season, although reportedly he still has two exhibition matches to play before he closes out the year. The Spaniard bagged his second Grand Slam title, downing Novak Djokovic to win at Wimbledon for the first time in his career. Their final was an epic clash that will be remembered for ages.
Similarly, Alcaraz played many incredible matches in 2023. From close losses to thrilling comeback victories or some dominant thrashings, the Spaniard saw it all. His tussle with Djokovic for the World No.1 ranking resulted in an enthralling rivalry between them. On that note, here are the five best matches Alcaraz featured in 2023.
5. When Alcaraz blitzed past Tsitsipas
Carlos Alcaraz entered the 2023 French Open as the World No.1 and expectedly progressed without breaking much sweat. He set up a quarterfinal clash against #5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and it was expected to be the toughest test for the 20-year-old.
Alcaraz, however, played like a man possessed, barely giving the Greek any hold over the clash. He was broken only once as he demolished Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1, 7-6(5) in just over two hours. He fumbled a couple of match points early in the third set but corrected it all soon. After he made the World No.5 look like a rookie, he said this was one of the best matches of his career (Eurosport).
Barely a month before this fixture, Alcaraz had beaten Tsitsipas in another lop-sided contest. He downed the latter 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the ATP 500 Barcelona Open.
4. Alcaraz bounced back after stern Hubert Hurkacz challenge
Fresh off his Wimbledon victory, Alcaraz was a leading favourite to secure multiple titles in the North American swing. His first event of the campaign was the Canadian Open, where he came up against big-serving Hurkacz in the Round of 16.
Alcaraz got off to an uncharacteristically sluggish start, allowing Hurkacz to race ahead 3-0. The latter held on to win the first set and carried his momentum into the second, breaking the Spaniard in the opening game. Alcaraz, though, returned the favour and broke him back. He continued negating the Pole’s big serve effectively as they went neck-and-neck and the youngster ultimately bagged the set after dominantly winning the tiebreak.
In the decider, Alcaraz raced ahead to a 5-2 lead and was serving for the win. However, he faltered and soon, Hurkacz found himself 5-6 up. The World No.1 found his groove and ultimately won 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(3) to complete a memorable comeback.
3. Jannik Sinner trumped Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling 3-setter
Alcaraz and Sinner, the two stars who are tipped to carry tennis in the future, clashed in the semifinals of the Miami Masters. A couple of weeks prior to that, the same match-up happened at the same stage of the Indian Wells Masters. The Italian had lost that and was gunning for revenge.
Alcaraz, though, hit the ground running to win the first set after a tiebreak. He carried his momentum into the second and had two break points with a 4-3 lead. Had he converted, he would have been within touching distance of a straight sets victory.
Sinner, however, played spoilsport and saved the two points. He did not allow Alcaraz to find his way back, winning the set without dropping another game. The conditions took a toll on the Spaniard as he meekly lost the decider to fall 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, prematurely ending his title defence after a three-hour thriller.
The highlight of the clash was a stunning 25-point rally that stretched the two youngsters to their physical limits before Sinner won it with what was declared the shot of the year by the fans.
2. Carlos Alcaraz battled Novak Djokovic in the best ATP match of the year
Djokovic and Alcaraz played out one of the best matches not only of 2023 but arguably of all-time. In a see-saw battle that lasted three hours and 49 minutes, the longest best-of-three-sets ATP Tour final, the Serb came out on top but both parties displayed incredible tennis. This was a match no one will forget anytime soon.
Having defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final not long ago, Alcaraz continued from where he left off. He bagged the opening set and raced to a 4-2 lead in the second. Djokovic was struggling in the hot and humid conditions, having gone down a couple of times already in need of medical intervention.
Alcaraz looked set to win in straight sets and bag his second title at the Serb’s expense. However, the eventual champion dusted himself off and showed incredible resilience and mental strength to bounce back and force a tiebreak. He saved a championship point in the tiebreak to win the set.
In the decider, Alcaraz began to face issues with the heat. He could not pull clear of his opponent and had to save four match points to enforce a tiebreaker. Djokovic, however, bagged the tie 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) to exact revenge. This epic fixture was dubbed the best tour match of 2023 by the ATP.
1. When Carlos Alcaraz won his second Grand Slam title
Carlos Alcaraz did win his first Grand Slam title in the absence of Novak Djokovic at the US Open 2022 but beat him in incredible fashion to bag his second. The Spanish star defeated the veteran in five sets in the 2023 Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz looked out of sorts when Djokovic started proceedings by inflicting a breadstick. He found his feet in the second, matching the seven-time Wimbledon winner closely. He prevented Djokovic from taking a 2-0 lead, saving a set point in the tiebreak and restoring parity. Alcaraz gave the Serb a taste of his own medicine by condemning him to a breadstick to win the third set. He took a 2-1 lead in the fourth but lost his way, allowing his opponent to bag the set.
Djokovic won the first game of the decider but Alcaraz found his rhythm, racing ahead 4-2. Thereon, there was no looking back as Alcaraz won 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to lift the trophy after 4 hours and 42 minutes of intense tennis.
