ATP Finals 2023: Novak Djokovic sweeps aside Carlos Alcaraz to join Sinner in the final

On this Saturday evening at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, the long-awaited clash between the world No. 1 and No. 2 largely turned out to the advantage of one man: Novak Djokovic. In just an hour and a half, the Serb beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 / 6-2. He has now booked his place in the final of the Masters Tournament, and the right to a revenge match against Jannik Sinner tomorrow.

This is the very first time that Novak Djokovic has beaten Carlos Alcaraz by such a margin. Until now, all their encounters have been suspenseful battles (with the possible exception of their semi-final at Roland Garros this year, when the Spaniard suffered cramp in the middle of the match), but today was no contest. In front of his son and daughter in the crowd, the world No. 1 Serb won without too much difficulty, in two straight sets, 6-3 / 6-2. And that’s easy to explain. On the one hand, Djokovic played some incredible tennis, with his control, precision and extra-terrestrial defence. As usual, in fact. But on the other, Alcaraz clearly wasn’t playing at his best. A very good first ball throughout the match, but too many unforced errors. The world No. 2 never really managed to trouble the Serb, despite a burst of pride at 1-3 in the second set. The rebellion didn’t last long, however, as Djokovic ended up making the double break and ending the match with an unstoppable smash.

With this success, the world No. 1 has qualified for the Masters final for the ninth time. Tomorrow, he will have the chance to win this Masters Tournament for the seventh time, and overtake Roger Federer. To do so, he will face his home player, Italy’s Jannik Sinner. As well as being a final, this match is also about revenge, since Sinner beat the Serb in the group stage last Tuesday (7-5, 6-7, 7-6).