Expert picks are back for the Cincinnati final on Sunday, when word No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic meet again following their epic Wimbledon clash. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Ricky: This should be another awesome one between Alcaraz and Djokovic. They have faced each other three times and outside of Alcaraz cramping all three have either been instant classics or had the makings of instant classics. As good as this Cincinnati final is expected to be, I think almost every advantage goes to Djokovic–albeit slightly–that will be enough to decide the match by small margins. One, he has the revenge factor on his side following his five-set loss in the Wimbledon title match that ended his hopes of the calendar-year Grand Slam. Two, the Serb has not dropped a single set this week. Alcaraz, on the other hand, hasn’t won a single match in straight sets. Djokovic is in superior form and–even though this isn’t a major–he will be very motivated for obvious reasons. Djokovic in 3: 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
Cheryl: This will be the first ever hard-court match between Djokovic and Alcaraz. Alcaraz has a scant 2-1 head-to-head lead, which includes his most recent title win at Wimbledon. In some ways, the freshness of the rivalry adds some…intrigue. The sample size isn’t yet large enough to determine if there is a legitimate matchup advantage for either man. My instinct says that hard courts will favor Djokovic, as he is the winningest hard-courter of all time. Still, the Wimbledon result gives me pause since I had no real expectation that Alcaraz would swipe that title out from under Djokovic. With that said, I am still inclined to give Djokovic the nod on this since he’s in better form and because he’s…well…Novak Djokovic. Djokovic in 3: 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-5.
Pete (Tennis Acumen): This anticipated and expected final almost did not happen on several different occasions, as Alcaraz has been taken to three sets in each of his matches in Cincinnati. A match point was saved in the semis against Hubert Hurkacz and a rain delay in the third set in the round of 16 against Tommy Paul allowed the world No. 1 to regroup and close out yet another tight match. Collectively, Alcaraz is 15 for 60 on break points in the tournament–including just one for 11 in his semifinal win. Djokovic has been much more efficient in his time on court. The Serb did not drop a set en route to the final and he bageled Taylor Fritz in just 20 minutes in the opening set of their quarterfinal. Djokovic will be appearing in his eighth Cincinnati final and is seeking his third title. Alcaraz is certainly fortunate to be playing on Sunday, as he has found a way to advance in each of his previous matches. His current form this week will not be nearly enough to win the title against a determined Djokovic, who has always played well in Cincinnati throughout his storied career. Djokovic in 2: 6-4, 7-5.
WWW?
Djokovic was discombobulated by the wind at Wimbledon that day, while Alcaraz dealt with it better. The wind won’t be a factor at the W&S Open.
Boy there is ALWAYS an excuse….if not the wind its the moon, the stars or the snow!!! The fact is Alcaraz was BETTER than Nole at Wimby. He was much better on the important points so he beat Nole. End of!!
Today, now Nole is struggling with the heat. Sigh!!! If it is not one it’s another! He should just retire since there will always be heat, wind, sandstorms and snow.
Alcaraz even with all his UFEs is just younger and Novak will always struggle against someone like Alcaraz with his speed and talent. Alcaraz makes Novak look old!!! So its never a guarantee that Nole’s experience will give him the win against Alcaraz. Alcaraz is in Novak’s head, lol!! Great for tennis!!
On the other hand, I just can’t wait for Rafa to return next year to see how he fairs against this Alcaraz. I really hope to see them play against each other again soon. VAMOS!!!
hahahahaha and more hahahhaha Way to shut some Nole hater like you up!!
Did you learn something in that Cinci final?? I hope so! Nole is and
will remain the god of tennis for many years to come!! Although Alca is
doing well, he still doesn’t completely convince me he is #1 and the only way he won that USOPEN was bc Sinner was stupid and let him win. He let many match points and opportunities to beat Alcaraz, not really because he was greater than him that day.
Thus situation with Nole and the heat reminds me of Alcaraz at the FO this year when he got cramps playing against Novak. Novak fans were laughing at Alcaraz. Well lets c who has the last laugh now, eh!!!
Alcaraz letting him back in it
Yes, Alcaraz has lost all focus! He should have already won this match! Now we go to three! I suppose its the best way to decide the match but Alcaraz must know that Novak is struggling so he needs to prolong the rallies and take his chances.
this has been a wild one
It’s pretty painful for me to watch.
It looks like someone is struggling with diarrhoea….on both sides.
Plenty of people made a career out of verbal diarrhorea.
Yep, and it usually involves telling people what they already know, but they have such a high opinion of themselves that they end up brainwashing the masses into thinking they are some kind of genius.
You’re probably giving them too much credit Anon, they are probably just a selfish and ignorant. That’s why they praise their own achievements and put everyone else down around them.
Yep, sometimes these people are outright manipulators and have an agenda too.
Yep, and if they are praising anyone anyone its usually for geopolitical reasons, to manipulate public sentiment or because it makes them look good via association.
I was a big fan of Star Wars while growing up as a kid. I’m a bit disappointed that these people I admired turned out different to what I expected.
Have they changed, or am I tarnishing them all with the same brush due to the few bad apples I’ve been dealing with lately?
I guess there is good and bad in every culture, isn’t there? Or maybe the ones in the movies had not been corrupted by the system at that point.
Who would’ve thought that Luke Skywalker and Han Solo would be monitoring us all through our social media accounts, tapping our phones, or colluding and manipulating politics, business, and financial markets to maintain dominance over the world? It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it?
It just goes to show that anyone is capable of succumbing to the dark side.
Isn’t Space X the US Government. How can they sue themselves?
Has to be smoke and mirrors to sway public opinion that the US Government has an arms length relationship and a non-nstionalistic agenda.
End result: We slapped him with 100k fine for his misdemeanor.
See, all this shit going on every day.