Key events
And look who’s watching.
First set: Djokovic* 1-3 Alcaraz (*denotes next server)
It’s hot and muggy today, the warmest day of the tournament so far, at about 27 degrees. Which is likely to help Alcaraz’s power and spin. Djokovic is already clutching his neck and shoulder as Alcaraz advances to 30-0, such is the workout he’s already endured in three and a half games, and he hangs his head as it becomes 40-0. Alcaraz then attempts to cut Djokovic in half with a body serve, but Djokovic reacts quickly to get it back and Alcaraz miscues. Before double faulting. And uncharacteristically underhitting his drop shot! From 40-0 it’s deuce. Djokovic nets with a poor slice … before getting the crowd on their feet with an open-stance backhand winner down the line!! He was so far beyond the baseline he was almost downtown. But he misses two cheap shots and Alcaraz maintains the break. Absorbing stuff.
First set: Djokovic 1-2 Alcaraz* (*denotes next server)
Djokovic opted not to practise on Wednesday and yesterday, to rest his 38-year-old body after his quarter-final against Taylor Fritz, and despite having a decent practice earlier, he’s been caught cold so far. Djokovic looks to finally be finding his feet at 30-0, but Alcaraz comes back for 30-all, jumping on a weak second serve. Alcaraz has Djokovic sprinting and sliding and doing the splits on the next point, Djokovic attempts the pass, but it doesn’t land in. Alcaraz is smiling, Djokovic is grimacing, because here’s a point for a double break. This time Djokovic is able to repel the Spaniard, taking the next three points for his first hold. He’s on the board. But it’s taken 16 testing minutes.
First set: Djokovic* 0-2 Alcaraz (*denotes next server)
Alcaraz, again wearing his pink sleeveless top/purple short combo, looking more like he’s ready for the beach than a date with one of the game’s greats, swiftly moves to 30-0. And then 40-15, with a 128mph serve out wide. Alcaraz errs on his backhand for 40-30, but an untidy forehand from Djokovic also ends up in the net. Having taken that virtual 2-0 lead before this semi-final started, that scoreline has now become a reality.
Alcaraz breaks: Djokovic 0-1 Alcaraz* (*denotes next server)
So Djokovic is serving first. He starts as he means to go on, winning the opening point when Alcaraz flashes a forehand wide. And, it has to be said, there’s a larger than expected cheer when Djokovic takes it. Djokovic drops the next two points by netting on both, then it’s Alcaraz’s turn to get in on the net-bashing act. 30-all. Djokovic hits a weak backhand into the net and already here’s the first break point of the semi-final. Alcaraz looks for all the world as if he’s going to win it, doing all the hard work and big hitting, but moves forward to round things off … and makes a mess of the volley! Deuce turns into advantage Djokovic, then deuce, then advantage Alcaraz. And Alcaraz breaks when Djokovic balloons long! As if Djokovic didn’t already know how tough this match was going to be, he does now.
Djokovic arrives on Arthur Ashe first. There’s barely a spare seat in the near-24,000-capacity house, the biggest stadium in tennis. Alcaraz follows, somewhat predictably getting the greater applause, and he also wins the coin toss too. So he’s already 2-0 up in a way. But there’s no sight of the biggest smile in tennis; he’s got his gameface on. Martina then finally offers her prediction, and is also backing Alcaraz in four.
Here’s Novak. He’s asked before stepping on to court how his body is feeling. “It’s feeling alright, let’s see. I’m expecting a very physical battle. I look forward to it, the challenge.”
And then it’s Carlos. “To be honest in the grand slams having two days to rest [before this semi-final], to feel fresh, is great. I recharged the battery physically and mentally. I’ve been really consistent this tournament [on serve], which I’m really happy about. But now I’m facing one of the best returners, it’s going to be tricky.”
Martina is, however, talking tactics. I think the key for Djokovic will be how well he serves. He’s become increasingly reliant on his serve to reduce the length of points, which is almost the opposite of prime Djokovic, who knew he could out-rally anyone. At the Australian Open this year, when Djokovic was struggling with his leg problem in their quarter-final, he was forced to play first-strike tennis to win and, although it goes against his instincts, a similar approach today probably represents his best chance of victory.
Tim Henman is going for an Alcaraz win in four sets, as is former NFL player Jason Bell, who’s a guest in the Sky studio. I’m not going to argue with that; I’m predicting Alcaraz in four too. “Djokovic can keep it close, but that speed of movement and firepower from the back of the court and extra sparkling of stardust that Alcaraz has will get him over the line,” Henman says. Poor Martina hasn’t yet been asked for her prediction. Good to see she’s back on Sky after this. Awkward.
“Alcaraz should be the clear favourite against Djokovic – he’s young, in his athletic prime and is riding a wave of absurd consistency,” emails an excited Gavriella Epstein-Lightma. “He’s reached the finals in each of his last seven tournaments. Alcaraz’s last defeat that did not fall in a final was in Miami against … David Goffin.
“Yet the one thing that should give Djokovic a tiny glimmer of hope is the curious reality that Alcaraz sometimes falters against Djokovic. Whereas Sinner now dispatches Djokovic with ruthless efficiency (as seen in how he is 6-0 in sets at grand slams against Djokovic this year), Alcaraz has more to prove. What a tantalising prospect this match is.”
Do remember: this is where you can get in touch with any predictions or predilections. It’s always good to hear from you.
There Alcaraz is, backstage, headphones on, flexing his muscles, doing a bit of dancing and sucking on what appears to be an energy gel. “I’ll have whatever he’s having,” quips Martina Navratilova on Sky Sports. He looks so relaxed as always.
In the girls’ singles, the defending champion Mika Stojsavljevic and Hannah Klugman have been unable to set up an all-British final. Stojsavljevic has just lost in three sets, after Klugman’s straight-sets defeat earlier. In the quad singles, Andy Lapthorne went out in the last four, while in the wheelchair men’s singles, Alfie Hewett has just been edged out 7-5 in a third set by Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez. Hewett will have the chance to get his revenge against Fernandez later in the final of the men’s doubles.
There have been plenty of matches already today. Taylor Townsend’s eventful US Open – including unwittingly getting involved in that row with Jelena Ostapenko and then her last-16 exit in the singles after holding eight match points against Barbora Krejcikova – has ended with defeat in the women’s doubles final. The American, along with her Czech partner Katerina Siniakova, who were the top seeds, lost 6-4, 6-4 to Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe. For Dabrowski and Routliffe, it’s their second US Open doubles title in three years.
Here’s Tumaini’s preview too:
Carlos Alcaraz took his final leave from Rod Laver Arena this year consumed by frustration. Losing at the Australian Open, the first grand slam tournament of the year, was painful enough, but Alcaraz’s disappointment was particularly down to how he had lost.
Novak Djokovic had visibly begun to struggle with a leg injury early in their four-set quarter-final, but instead of focusing on his own game, Alcaraz found himself staring across the net and thinking too much about his opponent’s condition rather than about what he needed to win. While the Spaniard’s focus wavered, Djokovic’s difficulties inspired his most offensive, decisive tennis, and he willed himself to a miraculous victory.
That meeting was the last encounter in what has become one of the most unusual rivalries the sport has seen. At 38 and 22 respectively, Djokovic and Alcaraz were born 16 years apart. Their first meeting at the Madrid Open in May 2022, won by Alcaraz, occurred two days after his 19th birthday and two weeks before Djokovic turned 35. Considering that significant age gap, just one match between them would have been a fortunate outcome.
Instead, when they enter Arthur Ashe Stadium for their semi-final match on Friday, they will have met on every single major stage in professional tennis: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, the Olympic Games and ATP Finals. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 5-3 and those meetings have included some of the most memorable matches in the sport, from Alcaraz’s recovery to win his first Wimbledon title in 2023 to Djokovic’s career‑completing Olympic gold medal triumph last year.
The contrasting dynamics of their careers have always been at the forefront of this match, with the Serb desperately fighting to maintain his high level despite his advancing age while Alcaraz attempts to mature and grow as he moves closer to his physical peak.
This tournament has underscored both of those challenges. After spending his early years succeeding despite his wavering focus and impulsive shot selection, Alcaraz has never been more consistent. The 22‑year‑old is seeking to reach an eighth consecutive final and a third major final in a row. The confidence he has gained from an immense summer has afforded him his first run to a grand slam semi-final without dropping a set. Alongside his improved concentration and clarity of thought on each point, the development of Alcaraz’s serve into an increasingly consistent weapon has been invaluable.
You can read the rest here.
Preamble
I wonder what Novak Djokovic thinks when he looks at Carlos Alcaraz and sees a smiling assassin who stopped him from winning that elusive 25th grand slam title in last year’s Wimbledon final, has already accumulated more majors than he had at the age of 22, is loved and adored in a way Djokovic never has been and has emphatically made sure – along with Jannik Sinner – that the Serb is no longer the main man in tennis.
You wouldn’t blame Djokovic if he hated the sight of the Spaniard (though with Carlos that’s hard) or at least felt some envy towards today’s semi-final opponent, who serves as a reminder of the time the 38-year-old doesn’t have left in tennis and the one remaining piece of history he still hasn’t claimed.
But there’s a sense that Djokovic may slowly be making peace with his borrowed time. He said before this tournament he doesn’t really want to be missing out on family events any more for tennis. Beyond the grand slams, his desire to continue playing has waned this year. Could this even be his last US Open? If he claimed undisputed GOAT-ness by winning the title, you feel it may be.
What does seem certain, however, is that, barring an Alcaraz injury, Djokovic will not only have to play a near-perfect match but also hope his body holds up – which it hasn’t always done at the business end of slams over the past two years – if he’s to win today. Yes, he beat Alcaraz in last year’s Olympic final, but that was over the best of three sets, and yes, he also won their Australian Open quarter-final in January. But the Alcaraz in Melbourne was a shadow of the New York version of Alcaraz, who’s combined a new laser-like focus with his already supreme shotmaking to reach the last four of a slam without dropping a set for the first time.
Alcaraz has been locked-in from the start and is now loaded for a likely third consecutive major final against Sinner (Bryan will be here later to take you through Sinner v Felix Auger-Aliassime). It’s now up to Djokovic to see if he can defy not only tennis’s duopoly, but also age, the odds and any sense of logic.
The players will arrive at: 3pm New York time/8pm BST.
While you wait: here are the highlights from that 2024 Olympic final and also their five-set arm wrestle in the 2023 Wimbledon final. Take your pick.
