It was the cruelest of endings. Some cramps, with the game in full swing, separated Carlos Alcaraz from Roland Garros. The Murcian, after leveling the match at one set with Novak Djokovic, felt some discomfort in his right leg, had to hand over a game to his rival so that he could be attended to by the physiotherapist and, despite trying one last effort without practically being able to move normally , fell in the semifinals in Paris (6-3, 5-7, 6-1 and 6-1).
The physical problems ended the hitherto sweet adventure of the Spaniard at Roland Garros. Without practically losing his smile despite the adversities, Alcaraz held a high-profile duel for two hours with Djokovic, a two-time champion on these tracks and in search of his 23rd Grand Slam, but the nerves and tension of the moment moved to his right twin. This one didn’t last. In a fall after a return, he stopped working and disrupted the mobility of the Murcian, who was never the same again.
Until then, it had been a nice game, with brilliant game peaks and some of the points that will remain for the memory of Alcaraz’s career. Djokovic started better, with the experience of having been in this situation many more times than his rival, and caught a first set in which Alcaraz had to have been more decisive with the ‘break’ balls -he lost the four he had- and with unforced errors -he made 16-.
His level was improving, as was logical, and, despite having problems again to break Djokovic’s serve -he needed four other chances-, this time he did roar to put a 7-5 with which he equalized the game. Now began a skirmish for the best of three sets, with two hours of tennis already in the legs and with the public well-accommodated in their seats.
Until the twin said enough. With 1-1, Alcaraz had to stop and receive assistance from the physio. This cost him to lose his service, since a medical time is not allowed until the change of ends. He had to deliver his service and return with very reduced mobility. Chained to the court, he lost the next five games and looked set to take the road to retirement.
“I’m going to make one last try. I can’t leave so soon,” he told his team, and went to the changing rooms for five minutes. The treatment worked slightly and Alcaraz did not withdraw from the match. He held on, as he already did in the Rio de Janeiro final this year, when he was injured against Cameron Norrie, but he had neither the gas nor the legs to compete against an overly self-focused Djokovic.
Despite having Alcaraz visibly sore in front, he did not hesitate to celebrate points with the score 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0. This earned him boos from the French public, who did not forgive the Serb’s lack of sportsmanship, not even when, with the game over, he went to the center of the court to celebrate. The ovation for Alcaraz, while he was lost in the changing room tunnel, was much greater than that of the winner of the match.
«Carlos has had a lot of bad luck. The last thing you want to happen to you here is physical problems. I hope he can recover soon and come back. I told him on the net that he has a long time ahead of him to win this title many times. He is an incredible tennis player and a great guy,” Djokovic said when interviewed by Álex Corretja.
Djokovic will play his seventh final at Roland Garros this Sunday, with the opportunity to win his third title in the French capital, making him the first man in history to win the Big Four on at least three occasions, in addition to leaving behind Rafael Nadal as the man with the most Grand Slams.
If he wins, he will also surpass Alcaraz as number one in the world and will get closer to the goal of reaching 400 weeks at the top. It currently has 387.
#cramps #Alcaraz