Seeking his first Major final of the season, Novak Djokovic suffered a 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open. The 38-year-old fought well in the opening two sets before losing steam in the third.
Martina Navratilova offered a detailed analysis of the Serb's most recent loss, highlighting keyaspects that tilted the balance toward the young Spaniard.
According to the legend, the match carried a higher intensity than noticed, with the young gun overcome 30-0 deficits in his games. While they both struck the ball with force, the contest lacked the extended rallies we had seen in their duels before.
Novak cracked a beautiful backhand down the line winner but needed more of those to remain in contention. Navratilova pointed to Djokovic's backhand as a weaker link, noting that it failed to trouble Alcaraz in crucial moments.
In another pivotal segment, the young gun had the upper hand behind the first serve, which was not always the case against the 24-time Major winner in the past.
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Thus, he reversed the usual dynamic in Novak's matches, with Carlos taking his role and suffocating his opponent with precision and consistency. Martina also touched on the broader challenge Djokovic faces at this stage of his career.
In her view and experience, as she played almost until turning 50, the effort and desire remain undiminished. However, age inevitably changes the margins, and the result brings growing frustration for champions used to effortless dominance.
Reaching balls is still possible, as the speed is there. However, executing shots with the same automatic precision becomes much harder than when you are ten years younger.
"It was a lot more intense than it needed to be because Carlos had 0-30 a bunch of times in the second set. Also, Novak kept hanging in there in the opening two sets. They hit the ball hard, but there were not many great rallies.
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Novak's backhand was not quite cutting it, and I think he is not used to winning fewer points behind the first serve than Carlos. The Spaniard won 85% of the points after landing it in, and it's usually Novak who does not give people room to breathe.
This time, it was Carlos, as the tables have turned. Novak was feeling stressed and could not find an opening. Getting older stings - I went through it. You put the same effort and feel the same, but you have to think more than when you were younger.
Even if you are not much slower and get to the ball, you play the right shot and miss something you would have made ten years earlier with your eyes closed. It gets frustrating because the effort is there and you feel good, but the result is not," Martina Navratilova said.
