"If you give Novak an inch, he'll take a mile," Wilander analyzes the semifinal between Alcaraz and Djokovic at the US Open
This Friday at 9 PM in France, it's time for the men's semifinals at the US Open. The first match will pit Novak Djokovic against Carlos Alcaraz. The two have already faced each other eight times on the main tour (5-3 in favor of Djokovic), but the Serbian won their most recent encounter earlier this year in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
However, the Spaniard is in exceptional form and has reached the final in the last seven tournaments he has played. He will try to prevent Djokovic from fighting for his 25th Grand Slam title, which has eluded him since the 2023 US Open.
In any case, Mats Wilander analyzed this upcoming clash for L'Équipe and outlined the keys that Djokovic must master to try to overcome his young opponent in the coming hours.
"The big difference in the Djokovic-Sinner and Djokovic-Alcaraz matchups is that Novak (Djokovic) believes he can beat Alcaraz. With the Spaniard, there is sometimes an opening, a hope that he might not be having a great day, that he goes through ups and downs.
In that case, Novak has a chance. But if Alcaraz plays like he has since the start of the tournament... I find him more disciplined than before, he makes fewer mistakes. What strikes me is that he doesn't have ten-minute lulls like he sometimes did, even recently.
Without these lapses, it's almost impossible to stay with him. Novak is aware that he no longer has the same stamina as before and that he will need to start very well. The first set is the most important for him. If he loses it, the road will be very, very long.
Alcaraz can recover from losing the first set; Novak, much less. Novak has a weapon that others don't—a complete understanding of the game. With it, he will have to determine whether Alcaraz is having a bad day, whether he absolutely must keep the ball in play, or whether he needs to be much more aggressive.
In his place, I would start the match with absolute discipline, refusing at all costs to make mistakes, not looking for winners, but without being passive either.
In fact, Novak must give Alcaraz the opportunity to make mistakes. Alcaraz should be wary: if you give Novak an inch, he'll take a mile," the Swede elaborated in recent hours.
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