Andy Roddick leaps to Carlos Alcaraz defence after Novak Djokovic beats star

Novak Djokovic on the importance of routines

Carlos Alcaraz should not be criticised for any physical issues he currently faces after the world No 1 was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati Open final on Sunday. That’s according to former American tennis star Andy Roddick, who pointed out that Djokovic himself did not have complete control of his game when he was the same age as the Spaniard.

The Murcia-born 20-year-old has been admired for his physical attributes ever since he broke into the game’s elite, but he has not been without his challenges.

Alcaraz was defeated by Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open when he suffered nerves induced cramps, contributing to his loss.

But only weeks later he was able to get his own back on the Serbian, winning his first Wimbledon title in a five-set thriller.

With a rivalry not firmly established, the world’s two best players went head-to-head again in the final of the Cincinnati Open, but it was Djokovic who emerged victorious this time, coming from a set down to prevail 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

Roddick praised the 36-year-old 23 times Grand Slam champion for adopting a strong approach but absolved Alcaraz of any concerns over his physical condition.

Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Roddick said: “Let’s give some fair context. Novak didn’t have his body completely figured out when he was 20 years old either, right? Like, the book [on how to play Djokovic] used to be let’s extend rallies. What I used to try to do when I was playing Novak would now be a suicide mission against Novak.

“So we do need to give Carlos the appropriate amount of time to figure out his body. I changed midway through, diet can make a huge difference, but it’s trial and error, right?”

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Alcaraz took the longest route possible to the final in Ohio, with all of his matches resulting in three-set contests. He was forced to come from a set down against both Max Purcell in the quarterfinals and Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals.

But despite falling at the final hurdle, Roddick was keen to point out that Alcaraz had given Djokovic a tough examination.

Roddick said: “There’s two things. We shouldn’t criticize Carlos too much. It was extremely physical, he played a long three-setter yesterday, the day before that, the day before that, the day before that. And now that’s on the side now.

“Listen, Carlos is already an hour and a half better than he is normally in extreme conditions when he gets to cramps. [Jannik] Sinner was like 2:20 [2022 US Open quarterfinals], [Cameron] Norrie last year was 2:20 at this exact tournament [quarterfinals]. The French Open, it was about the 2:20 mark. Now we’re talking about the 3:50 mark, same problem but it’s getting better. That’s progress.”

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