At nightfall, the frame that follows Novak Djokovic’s victory over the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (6-4 and 6-2, in 1h 51m) is typical of a final, when the winner usually collapses on the sand to celebrate the victory in communion with the clay. So many times has Rafael Nadal, its owner, done so many times on the Chatrier, or Carlos Alcaraz himself did so less than two months ago, when he tasted the honey of Paris for the first time. But no, Nole has not won anything. The Serbian is so close and yet so far away. This 37-year-old man who spreads out on the ground and who fights with the same hunger as at the beginning has an old dream, systematically denied and now just one step away. On the other side of the net on Sunday (around 2:00 p.m., La 1 and Eurosport) will be the Murcian, a colossal challenge for the champion of champions, who only needs gold to round off an unrivalled list of achievements.
Only one tennis player was able to close the great circle. The American Andre Agassi conquered the four majorswas crowned master, lifted the Davis Cup Salad Bowl and rose to the Olympic altars. The Belgrade native is now within reach, but between him and pseudo perfection there is a more than considerable obstacle: Alcaraz, the 21-year-old who has been shaking his morale in recent times and who deprived him of the last two Wimbledon titles; the episode last year in London was balanced, but not so the one on July 14, when the Spaniard shook him from start to finish in La Catedral. But today, says the Balkan, the story may be different. Different setting, different circumstances and an even more powerful underlying issue for him, because he harbors an unbridled obsession with achieving the Olympic laurel and definitively standing out, representing his country. Serbia, a major reason for Djokovic.
“Playing against Carlos at this moment is, possibly, the biggest challenge that one can face today; and also on this court, where he won Roland Garros less than two months ago,” he explains, adding a nuance: “We have only played each other here once, last year in the semi-finals of Roland Garros.” And then, the player from El Palmar, impressed, collapsed. Now, the story is very different. Alcaraz has climbed several steps and sets the pace, without dizziness when he measures himself against the totem. Quite the opposite. “I feel that this week I am moving much better than I did at Wimbledon, I am feeling much better. In some way, in this final I have nothing to lose, because the medal is already assured, but even so I want to go for it,” he adds after resolving the heated duel with Musetti, but not because of any outburst by the young Italian. His goal is at the top of the table.
Djokovic, tense at the prospect of slipping up and depriving him of the Olympic treasure, spits a thousand demons at the judge Jaume Campistol, who has sanctioned him twice for the delay in the service – which cost him a first serve – and a third time for the indecipherable words he has dedicated to him from the bench. In any case, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has managed to get back on track and lands against Alcaraz, in an ideal outcome. Nole has achieved this after a monumental effort, after having undergone surgery on June 5 and having reached the final in London. “I have been waiting for this for almost 20 years. I have played in four Olympic Games, this is my fifth and I have never made it past the semi-finals[inBeijing2008wherehewonbronzeLondon2012andTokyo2020)soIdidn’twantthattohappenagain”headmitsalreadywonderingwhatstrategyhewillemployandwhatwillbethebestwaytocontaintheMurciananunleashedtennisplayer[enPekín2008dondelogróelbronceLondres2012yTokio2020)asíquenoqueríaquevolvieraapasar”admitebarruntandoyaquéestrategiaemplearáycuáleslamejorvíaparaconteneralmurcianountenistadesatado
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