Novak Djokovic celebrated his incredible win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Sunday in style.
Djokovic beat Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) in the finals of the tournament. He dropped the first set and looked like he might not be able to make it through the match due to some sort of health issue. He was down 2-4 in the second set and even fought off a match point. But Djokovic rallied to win the second set and then outlasted Alcaraz, winning the tiebreak in the final set to win the championship. The match lasted 3:48 and was the longest Masters 1000 best-of-3 finals match ever.
After he got the win, Djokovic dropped to the ground in disbelief. Then he got up, shook hands with his opponent, and ripped apart his shirt.
Novak bettors after thinking they were toast. LETS SEE THE SLIPS ⬇️ https://t.co/wq56Cd9gWK
— Covers (@Covers) August 21, 2023
Too tough to die 💪
The moment @DjokerNole locked up his record 39th Masters title in THE MOST DRAMATIC fashion, 5-7 7-6 7-6 over Carlos Alcaraz #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/B7GGCPfjDX
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 21, 2023
The match was an instant classic and quickly regarded by some as one of the best 3-set matches in memory. That was the 39th career Masters 1000 win for Djokovic. It was likely his hardest-earned win in the finals, as the two competed in 90-degree weather for nearly four hours.
