Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (Photos by AP)
Carlos Alcaraz completed his post-match TV interviews after defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the U.S. Open semifinals on Friday.
Sinner later secured his place in the final with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Auger-Aliassime. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz, marking the first time two players will face each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals in one season. Djokovic, at 38, showed signs of fatigue by the match’s end.
“These two players are the best in the world right now,” said Djokovic, a 24-time major champion. Probably, I’m just getting mature, just getting to know myself much better, what I need on, off the court,” the Spaniard said. So we know each other very well,” Sinner said.
Before beginning the interviews, Alcaraz paused to check his phone for updates on Jannik Sinner’s semifinal match against Felix Auger-Aliassime, which was still in its first set. This set up a historic US Open final between No. “It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency on the matches, on the tournaments, on the year, in general. Just not having up-and-downs in (a) match. “We have played quite a lot this year. He reached semifinals in all four Slams this season but was eliminated each time, with three losses to either Alcaraz or Sinner. “I still want to play … (a) full Grand Slam season next year. Let’s see whether that’s going to happen or not, but … Slams are Slams. They are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport, the most important tournaments we have. But I do fancy my chances a bit more in best-of-three.”