Djokovic vs. Alcaraz Final Breakdown -- JCF From Afar -- First Time's the Charm Trivia

Milestone 🥳 

Dearly beloved reader - just a quick note before we actually dive in. I’m extremely excited and proud to share that this is my 100th edition of Unforced Error! Sharing my love for the sport with you all is one of the brightest spots in my life, so thank you for all of your support. You have no idea how much it means. Cheers to you and to the next 100!

Australian Open

Djokovic vs. Alcaraz Final Breakdown

On Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia beat Novak Djokovic to win his 7th Slam, and become the youngest player ever to complete the Career Grand Slam (win all 4).

He also booked an appointment with his tattoo artist — “4pm next Tuesday work? Mom gave me the green light for a kangaroo above the belly button”

In all seriousness, the match was phenomenal. And it started with the storylines: 10 time champion. Going for his 25th major. Trying to do the impossible (beat Sinner + Alcaraz back-to-back). Against 6 time Grand Slam champion. 16 years younger Spanish energizer bunny. Going for the above mentioned record.

Tennis couldn’t be any luckier to get one more final between these two. I think it’ll be their last.

But enough opening patter—let’s get into what happened in this match. And let’s start with Djokovic’s game plan, which I call:

Operation: Don’t Let Carlos Cook

Novak’s plan was simple:

• Hit the crap out of the ball

• Hit it deep, flat, and through the middle of the court

• Change direction early and often

Why this strategy?

Because throwing haymakers didn’t allow Carlos to take full cuts at the ball, and generate both the spin and angles that typically help him create offensive opportunities.

Plus, by limiting Alcaraz’ angles, Djokovic didn’t have to run side to side as much per point—something he had to limit in the best of 5 match.

For one glorious set, it worked perfectly. Djokovic said after the match that the first 8 games was the best set of tennis he’s played in the last two years. He was executing perfectly. Crushing the ball. And Carlos couldn’t cook.

Then Carlos adjusted

“And oh how the turn tables”

Adjustment #1: Return Position

Alcaraz started standing farther back on return.

From deeper behind the baseline, he could start rallies with a high, heavy return instead of a flat one. That one tweak made Novak’s entire “low through the middle” thesis much harder to execute from the first ball.

It also gave Carlos more angles from his first swing in the rally. The geometry of the court opened back up for him.

The middle wasn’t so suffocating anymore.

Adjustment #2: Make It Physical

Remember: Djokovic played a brutal five-setter against Sinner 48 hours earlier. And when the game plan is to throw 104 MPH fastballs for 18 innings, your arm is due to fall off eventually.

Novak even said in press that he completely lost the feeling he had in the first set, and only briefly found it again midway through the fourth.

You could see it. The depth got shorter. His first serve dropped about 5mph. And when you give Carlos Alcaraz a slightly shorter, slightly slower ball, you’re basically handing him the remote control to the rally.

The Student Became the Master

In his prime, Djokovic beat big hitters by doing one thing better than anyone:

He made it physical. He extended rallies. He absorbed pace. He waited for you to miss during big points. He turned matches into wars. That’s exactly what Alcaraz did to him.

Instead of trying to out-hit Novak, Carlos absorbed. Redirected. Stayed disciplined. He didn’t go hunting for highlight shots. He didn’t try to create magic when it wasn’t there. He just raised his rally tolerance and said, “Okay old man. I can go all day.”

And that normally isn’t him. That’s the part that I can’t get over. This is not Alcaraz’s natural identity. He’s a shotmaker. He loves a broken play. A “did he just do that?” player. But after getting bulldozed in the first set, he had the discipline — and the belief — to go into lockdown mode for the next three hours.

That’s really hard to do. Especially in a Slam final. Especially after getting smoked in set one. It felt like he had watched Novak his whole life, taken notes, and did gave the 24 time Grand Slam champ a taste of his own medicine.

Trivia

Carlos is the first player on the ATP tour to win every Grand Slam on his first time to the finals. Who is the only other player to do this?

A. Serena Williams

B. Steffi Graf

C. Venus Williams

D. Justine Henin

Find out at the bottom!

Meme

All jokes aside, it must be really tough for Juan Carlos. He must be simultaneously so proud of his prodigy, yet hurting deeply that he's not there to enjoy the success with him.

Conversely, I wonder how Alcaraz is feeling. There's gotta be some part of him that wants to text/call JCF and share how excited he is, or to hear how proud his childhood coach is.

There’s a lot of people who believe that this win solidifies the idea that "Alcaraz definitely doesn't need JCF." But I firmly disagree, and I think Roddick put it well: “Alcaraz is a byproduct of all the years he spent with JCF. All his success, current and future, has JCF's imprint on it.” Personally, I hope they team up together in the future!

Around the Net

Some of the best tennis content I found on the internet this week…

🫣 The very relatable anxiety of watching your bestie play a big point

😮‍💨 Maybe in my next life I’ll be one of the ball kids that makes a one-handed snag from a Federer laser beam. Here’s what I’m talking about.

📹️ Loved this vintage footage of Novak from 2005. His footwork and balance was (and still is!) so mesmerizing.

Answer

A. Serena Williams

I guess Serena and Carlos don’t relate to these phrases:

• If at first you don’t succeed, try try try again

• Third time’s the charm

• Good things come to those who wait

They’re more on the All I do is win win win no matter what type sh*t