"The hype is legit, it is not a matter of if, but when" - Tennis fans hail Carlos Alcaraz after he defeats Novak Djokovic in Madrid SF
Carlos Alcaraz continued his unbelievable run in 2022, taking down Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Madrid Open. The Spaniard lost the first set in a tight tie-break but then clawed his way back into the contest to record a 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) win in a marathon match.
With the teenager having taken down Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, he became the first player to beat the Spaniard and Djokovic in the same clay tournament. He also became the youngest player in the 20-year history of the Madrid Open to reach the final.
The accomplishment prompted fans on social media to throw superlative after superlative at the Spaniard.
"Remember all the s*** y'all gave me for hyping up Alcaraz?! Yeah, the hype is legit. It's not a matter of if but when," one fan tweeted.
Remember all the s*** y'all gave me for hyping up Alcaraz?! Yeah, the hype is is legit. It's not a matter of if but when twitter.com/pamelam35/stat…
To come back the day after beating Rafa on clay and not have a mental/emotional let down... And take out Djokovic. Yeah. Kid has the game, head, and heart for this sport.
Beats Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back on clay in Madrid...This breakthrough that Carlos Alcaraz is having is METEORIC 🚀 Beats Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back on clay in Madrid...
What a pure delight to see him compete this way week in and week out in 2022. He's taken it to the next level in front of the home fans!
Best thing about Alcaraz's game is how he balances defending and attacking so well. A lot of the younger guys have ferocious attacking shots but are very poor at defending. Not Alcaraz [and Medvedev too BTW]. And you just love to see that.
"The way Alcaraz out hit Djokovic. The drop shots. The mental resilience. The drop shots. The way he won after losing the first set. The drop shots. The way he had a match point, lost it, and then just held serve in the blink of an eye. The drop shots. The final set tiebreak," another account wrote.
The story of teen tennis sensation @alcarazcarlos03
May 5 - he turns 19
May 6 - he beats #Nadal
May 7 - he beats #Djokovic
He has captured the attention of all sports fans with his talent, obvious peak youth fitness & super mental strength👌👏
#Alcaraz #MMOPEN @MutuaMadridOpen
What a match, and a fitting fight for Alcaraz to become the first man to ever beat Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay event
Also just the 3rd teenager to beat Djokovic, who was on an 83-1 run after winning the first set (Zverev at Olympics)
The way Alcaraz out hit Djokovic. The drop shots. The mental resilience. The drop shots. The way he won after losing the first set. The drop shots. The way he had a match point, lost it, and then just held serve in the blink of an eye. The drop shots. The final set tiebreak.
"The question of who will be supplanting the Big 3 is no longer a question. Djokovic and Nadal may still win out in slams, but Carlos Alcaraz will be running the tour in no short time," one account tweeted.
@mattracquet One of the rare occasions where I've watched post-30 Novak/Rafa and thought "man... these guys look old."
Alcaraz is the new king of lateral movement on the ATP Tour, Djokovic has been supplanted.
Huge respect for Novak too who was typically classy in defeat and is warming up v nicely for Rome + @rolandgarrosClearly there is nothing @alcarazcarlos03 can’t do 👏 The first man ever to beat Nadal + Djokovic at the same clay court event ‼️ Huge respect for Novak too who was typically classy in defeat and is warming up v nicely for Rome + @rolandgarros
The question of who will be supplanting the Big 3 is no longer a question...
Djokovic and Nadal may still win out in slams, but Alcaraz will be running the tour in no short time.
Although Djokovic lost, most tennis fans were of the opinion that he could take a lot of positives from the match. Several Twitter users pointed to the resilience he displayed against a much younger opponent to highlight that he would definitely be back to his usual self at the French Open.
"Very encouraging week for Novak Djokovic. I think he’s improved miles from Monte Carlo and getting closer to his best level. Roland Garros is 3 weeks away and he will be battle tested, ready to defend his title. Still the 2nd favorite for Roland Garros in my view," one fan wrote.
Very encouraging week for Novak Djokovic. I think he’s improved miles from Monte Carlo and getting closer to his best level. Roland Garros is 3 weeks away and he will be battle tested, ready to defend his title. Still the 2nd favorite for Roland Garros in my view.
& how much I love watching @djokernole play & today’s match has been another reminder of how much I love 🎾 & how much I love watching @djokernole play 🎾. He truly is a blessing to this sport. He’s an amazing fighter & champion & an amazing role model.
THANK YOU NOVAK for all the passion & all the emotions, love you.
I'm really not looking forward to the biased reporting on the match. Media will not talk about the tremendous fight that Djokovic put up in 3 long sets, after the stressful months he's been through. They're just going to acknowledge Alcaraz as his conqueror. Not happy about that.
"This match for Djokovic win or lose was a massive step in the right direction to getting back to his best! I knew Carlos Alcaraz would push Djokovic which is exactly what he needs. Even though Novak lost the match he's gained an enormous amount of match practice in preparation for Roland Garros!" another user posted.
This match for Djokovic win or lose was a massive step in the right direction to getting back to his best!
I knew Alcaraz would push Djokovic which is exactly what he needs. Even though Novak lost the match he's gained an enormous amount of match practice in preparation for RG!!
This match reminds me of rome final last year. Similar feelings about RG.. We’re getting there everyone.. novak djokovic is back & I’m leaving bc this match took away a lot of things from me lmao https://t.co/hsXF6j4Ikc
Alcaraz is very much the real deal and a brilliant player. But I'm very pleased with @DjokerNole performances this week. He was around a 7/10 in Belgrade, 8/10 in Madrid he will be a 9/10 in Rome and a 10/10 for @rolandgarros.
He's building perfectly and will peak at the French.
Carlos Alcaraz to take on Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev in the final of the 2022 Madrid Open
Following his victory over Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz will take on either Stefanos Tsitsipas or defending champion Alexander Zverev in the final of the 2022 Madrid Masters. The German has lost only one set in the tournament so far, and disposed of Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals with relative ease.
Defending champion Alexander Zverev wins an 8th consecutive match in Madrid, beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-5 to reach the semifinals in Madrid.
Rematch from the Monte Carlo semifinal vs. Tsitsipas tomorrow.
Tsitsipas is the only player that beat Zverev here since 2017!! https://t.co/tfZcRaHu56
Tsitsipas has also lost just one set in Madrid this week and prevailed over Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. No matter what happens in the final, Alcaraz is guaranteed to become the World No. 6 next week.