Carlos Alcaraz fully deserved his four-set win over Novak Djokovic in today’s final.
But John McEnroe still noticed something he would have done differently.
Even with the trophy now in his hands, there was a stretch during the match when it looked like the chance might slip away from him.
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Djokovic had taken the opening set comfortably, putting Alcaraz under real pressure early on.
It was what happened after that first set that drew McEnroe’s attention though, especially how Alcaraz managed to turn things around by fixing his approach.
Where Carlos Alcaraz went wrong early in the final
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
The American, speaking live on ESPN, praised the Spaniard for the courage and strength he displayed through the match.
Still, he criticised the lack of initial energy, saying: “I think that was actually the type of match he should have played in the beginning.
“Maybe he was affected by that five and a half hour match in the heat, and he wasn’t able to execute that, but as his body loosened up, he started to do his thing, and obviously, in the end it paid huge dividends.”
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Patrick McEnroe followed up with praise for Alcaraz’s tactical sense, saying: “Yeah, I mean, his tactical awareness, I think is outstanding. You’ve got to give him and his team credit for that.
“We know about the shot-making ability. We know just about the pure talent. We saw his grit, his determination in that struggle against Zverev with the heat, with the cramps.
“But I think we saw some really high tennis IQ. We talked about that during the match from this man so now he’s already at 22 he’s got seven majors.”
In his post-match speech, Alcaraz thanked Djokovic. This followed an interesting speech from the Serbian himself, which suggested he might not be returning to Melbourne.
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Carlos Alcaraz got lucky against Novak Djokovic
It is fair to say that Carlos Alcaraz had a bit of fortune on his side in the Australian Open final.
Novak Djokovic, battling fatigue from a long semi-final just two days earlier, started well but could not keep up the intensity. That drop-off gave Alcaraz an opening, and he made sure to take it.
The Serbian took the opening set, controlling play with his forehand and forcing Alcaraz to chase. But as the match wore on, his level dipped noticeably.
Alcaraz’s energy never wavered, and that proved decisive in the end.
It was not his best performance by any stretch, but he did enough to get over the line. Still, there is no doubt he benefited from Djokovic fading as the match went on.
