The match was a mere formality. One of these that is becoming more and more popular in modern tennis, with a single purpose: fundraising. When you go to Saudi Arabia you only do so thinking about one thing, money. You travel there, comply, grab the money and quickly return home. That's why Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, the two best players on the circuit, went to Riad this Wednesday. They would never have faced each other just three weeks before the start of the Australian Open had it not been for the fact that the money they put on the table was irrefutable.
This exhibition has been held for several years, specifically since 2017. In its first edition, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic were going to compete, but it was suspended due to an injury to the Spaniard. Thus, every last week of December there has been tennis in the capital of Saudi Arabia. But it had never reached the level that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wanted to reach. He asked for the best and yesterday, for the first time, the best were in Riyadh.
This turned all eyes to the Kingdom Arena, a luxurious 26,000-seat arena that was sold out. In the center of the authorities' box sat the president of Almería Turki Al-Sheikh, wearing sunglasses and escorted by several ministers from the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Turki Al-Sheikh, who has not appeared in Almería for months or referred to his project in the Indian team, is the president of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia. He posed with Djokovic and Alcaraz before the match and is in charge of leading all the sports projects with which the Saudi regime intends to whiten his image.
With stands given to the two players and in which few women were seen, the match began at a slow pace, with no continuity on the part of any of the tennis players. It was a party, all the way. And the good vibes between the Serbian and the Murcian were constant. They applauded each other when they made a good point and exchanged laughter and gestures of complicity quite regularly. Little by little they warmed up and in the first round the player from Belgrade dominated. Novak gave up the first serve of the match, but then played with greater intensity and won the first set (4-6). The last point of this first set was a double fault by Alcaraz.
Improvement of Alcaraz
Alcaraz took a step forward in the second set, in which he managed to free himself and began to score points with his right foot. Furthermore, every time he went up to the net he hit a well-toned Carlitos, accompanied on this whirlwind trip to Riyadh by his agent, Albert Molina; his father, Carlos Alcaraz González; and his physiotherapist, Juanjo Moreno.
Djokovic saved the furniture as best he could between short exchanges. But Carlitos demonstrated his confidence on the court and his desire to win the first face-to-face match with Djokovic of the season, even though there was nothing at stake. He was encouraged even by his effective drop shots and was reducing an inferior Djokovic in that second set (6-4).
The game went higher and higher. In the first two rounds there was no tension, but when the time came for the outcome, both showed that they did not want to lose. Leaving Riyadh with a defeat was not an option for either of them. They are two competitive animals and do not understand relaxation or friendly exhibitions.
Carlitos played better and better and scored one of the great points of the game on the run, hitting a winning shot down the line. Applause from Djokovic and madness in the stands. However, the Serbian gave more excitement to the match by recovering the lost break thanks to the pressure exerted on the world number two's serve. But the Murcian tennis player recovered and barely noticed that pressure that other times has gripped him in decisive moments of matches, especially when closing them.
Carlitos ended up breaking serve again against Djokovic who could no longer get the third set back on track and ended up giving up the spoon. Thus, Alcaraz takes a victory that will give him a lot of confidence ahead of the Australian Open. Djokovic was not even fazed by a defeat that has no consequences, but he already knows that Alcaraz is in shape and that she will be his great rival during the second half of January in Melbourne.
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