No. 1 of '22: Carlos Alcaraz conquers Novak Djokovic in a classic, kicking off a generations-spanning rivalry

HIGHLIGHTS: Carlos Alcaraz d. Novak Djokovic, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5), in the Madrid semifinals

Few first meetings in tennis history were as highly anticipated as the semifinal that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic played in the Caja Magica in May.

The match pitted the longtime world No. 1, Djokovic, against the teenager who many people (correctly) believed would soon occupy that spot. It featured the defending Roland Garros champion vs. one of the top contenders for that throne in 2022. It offered a chance for a young player to show that he could be a worthy heir to Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, by becoming the first person to beat them back-to-back on clay—in front of his home fans, to boot.

It’s safe to say, after Alcaraz’s ultra-tight, maximally entertaining, three-hour-and-35-minute victory, that the match and his performance lived up to those expectations, and added a few more for the future.

Alcaraz and Djokovic punched and counterpunched with their forehands, backhands and drop shots all afternoon. Over and over they scrambled and slid from alley to alley, and from baseline to net. They played dozens of long, drawn-out, hard-fought games, but only surrendered their serves three times between them.

Their levels went up and down, they let golden opportunities slip, and each made more errors than winners; but after the middle of the first set, neither let the other build a lead of more than a single game. Each man looked ready to cave physically and mentally at different moments, but neither did. Alcaraz won 134 points, Djokovic 131.

“It was a fantastic match,” said Djokovic, who has experienced more than his share of them over 17 years on tour. “Great battle.”

What was the difference in the end? Why did Alcaraz get to bask in the crowd’s chants for their nation’s new tennis hero, while Djokovic hurried away, head down, in frustrated defeat? Don’t ask the Spaniard.

“Honestly I don’t know the difference,” Alcaraz said. “It was so close. He had chances to break my serve at the end of the second set. Both of us played an incredible match.”

If this match was a sign of Alcaraz’s world-beating potential, it was also a sign that Djokovic wasn’t going to pushed aside anytime soon.

Djokovic also focused on his missed chances in the second set. At that stage it seemed likely, after he had weathered an early Alcaraz storm and come back from 2-4 down to steal the first set, that the veteran would shut the door on the teenager. In truth, though, it wasn’t Djokovic who failed to put the kid away; it was the kid who kept the door open all by himself.

At 3-3 in the second set, Djokovic reached 30-30; Alcaraz hit two straight drop shot winners. At 4-4, Djokovic reached break point; Alcaraz hit a service winner. At 5-5, Djokovic reached break point again; Alcaraz foiled him with another drop shot.

“He held his nerves very well,” Djokovic said. “For somebody of his age to play so maturely and courageously is impressive.”

In the third set, both men fell behind on their serves, and both found ways to survive. Alcaraz did it with drop shots, high-kicking serves into the ad court, and wrong-footing forehands. Djokovic did it with big first serves, surprising second serves, great gets, backhand winners and, when he faced a match point at 4-5, a blistering ace.

The contest deserved a third-set tiebreaker, and it got one. This may have seemed like the moment when Djokovic would go into his famous lockdown mode, and teach the teen a lesson in big-stage tennis. Instead, it was Alcaraz who reined in his sometimes wild shot selection, and hit with more clarity than he had all day. He hit a swing-volley winner to go up 1-0; a down-the-line backhand winner to go up 3-1; a big forehand to go up 4-2. On match point he powered through a forehand winner to clinch it. The errors that plagued him earlier (he made 58 on the day) had vanished.

While Alcaraz was locking down, Djokovic was losing some control. He missed a backhand return long to go down 3-5, and a regulation forehand long to go down 4-6. He said he had trouble with Alcaraz’s spins in the thin Madrid air.

“Many times I gave him free points there,” Djokovic said. “His kick [at] altitude here is huge, and it was just difficult to deal with his ball, and I wasn’t feeling my return from [the backhand] side.

“Wasn’t able to capitalize when it mattered. He did. Congrats to him.”

Yet if this match was a sign of Alcaraz’s world-beating potential, it was also a sign that Djokovic wasn’t going to pushed aside anytime soon. Madrid was just his fourth event of 2022, and he had looked a little shaky physically up to that point. But he rose to this occasion and nearly beat a player who had looked unbeatable for most of the season. As well as Alcaraz played in reaching No. 1, Djokovic was a match for him over the rest of 2022, winning Wimbledon, the ATP Finals and going 42-7 for the year.

“I think it’s on the good path, definitely,” Djokovic said of his game in Madrid.

Still, it was Alcaraz who won the match of the year, by getting better, rather than tighter, at the end. Afterward, he was asked what he’ll take away from this win.

“I’m thinking I’m able to play against the best players in the world,” Alcaraz said, “to beat them as well.”

The Alcaraz-Djokovic rivalry kicked off with a classic in 2022; here’s hoping we see as many more editions as possible in the coming years.