The countdown to one of the most highly-anticipated Masters semi-final days began almost before the quarter-finals were over.
With world No1 and former Madrid champion Novak Djokovic straight into his last-four slot with speed and efficiency, the anticipation—and noise level—in the Caja Magica rocketed for the showdown between Spain’s favourite son, Rafael Nadal, and the teenage star shaping up to take his idol’s place in Spain’s affections, Carlos Alcaraz.
Tennis fans, and not just in Spain, were not disappointed in a battle royal that had drama aplenty and shot-making to please the most jaded palate. A day after his 19th birthday, Alcaraz became the youngest ever Madrid semi-finalist, and into his third Masters semi-final since Indian Wells in March.
And his results before and since had been outstanding: two ATP500 titles in Rio and Barcelona, the title at the Miami Masters, and now up to 26 match-wins for three losses.
So from a ranking of 120 this time last year, he was now at No9, and was aiming even higher: With this run, he would hit No6 when the new rankings were published.
The excitement had now only grown for this teenager who was looking at yet another milestone. He was hoping to become the youngest of 12 players who have managed to beat both Nadal and Djokovic at the same event, and the first to do so on clay.
It was, of course, a huge ask in his first match against the man who had won in Madrid three times, who held the record for Masters titles, 37 of them, and the record for weeks at No1— 368 and counting.
There were ominous signs for Alcaraz, though, if he had watched Djokovic’s progress though the draw. The former champion had arrived in Madrid with relatively little match-play, prevented from playing the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami by his Covid status.
He reached the final of his home tournament in Belgrade, where his lack of match fitness took a toll in his fourth straight three-set match: Andrey Rublev denied him the title.
But in Madrid, he dispatched Gael Monfils and No12 seed Hubert Hurkacz with relative ease, enjoying a pass in the third round when Andy Murray withdrew. Alcaraz, too, had played the later quarter-final yesterday, taken to three sets by Nadal, and in a match where he twisted his ankle in a fall.
It was almost impossible to predict, and there was a real buzz as the players emerged into the Madrid sun.
That Alcaraz broke in the first game only played into the home support, which was already turned up to high. When he saved break point at the net, the noise surged again, 2-0.
Djokovic was soon into the groove, however, forcing his young opponent to save another break point for 4-2, and meanwhile beginning to lay down love holds of his own. Come the next Alcaraz serve, and the pressure continued, and this time Djokovic got the break with some big, looping balls to draw errors. Whether the teenager would get another chance to break was debatable: Djokovic’s first serve was up to 90 percent.
Sure enough, another love hold and Djokovic was in the lead for the first time, 5-4. Yet another love hold from the Serb, and Alcaraz would have to try and take it to a tie-break. He did so, but there, he quickly went 5-1 down as Djokovic served to the lines and found angles that Alcaraz could not match. Djokovic served for it at 6-2, but Alcaraz sent the fans into uproar with an ace, and a drop-shot winner. The Serb would serve for it again, and drew an error for the set, 7-6(5).
A double fault by Alcaraz in the opening game of the second set spelled trouble, but he held comfortably. However, he was making few inroads on the pinpoint Djokovic serve. He got a chance in the fifth game courtesy of his signature drop-shot winner, but the Djokovic forehand was taking no prisoners: 3-3.
Alcaraz was now deploying the drop-shot to great effect, and the crowd stood to applaud one that sealed another game. He then saved break point and took it to 5-4, as the red and gold flags waved.
Yet again, the teenager saved break point, and reaped the reward of some creative points at the front of the court, his 19th winner in the set, to break, 6-4.
Caja Magica exploded, and the volume did not abate, as Alcaraz applied persistent pressure to Djokovic. The Serb survived a nine-minute fourth game, three break points and levelled at 2-2, with the level and pace of play outstanding. He survived two more break points for 3-3, finding line-clipping accuracy and penetration.
This time, it was Alcaraz who had to survive a marathon, two break points, three deuces, but rose to the challenge, and Djokovic had to serve to save the match. A 22-shot rally brought up Alcaraz’s first chance, but the Serb serving was perfection. He came through four deuces, and raised his clenched fist to the partisan crowd. He was not going anywhere: Could the teenager keep his focus and belief in the face of such resistance and experience?
Inevitably, they headed to a deciding tie-break, and like the entire match, this was nip and tuck, until the extraordinary teenager earned match point on his own serve against a Djokovic who was playing near his best. He took it, 7-6(5), after a compelling three hours, 35 minutes.
That Alcaraz has the biggest smile in tennis only adds to the spectacle of his achievement: beating Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back—on clay—to reach another Masters final, No6 in the ranks, and a place in Spanish hearts.
How much he will have, emotionally let alone physically, to play the final in less than 24 hours, who knows. But he had already beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas three times, though lost to Alexander Zverev twice.
That second semi-final would have to wait until late evening, when one of the blossoming rivalries in the top 10 would have its 11th encounter. The two-time champion, defending his title this year, was the 25-year-old No2 seed, Zverev. He took on 23-year-old No4 seed Tsitsipas, who had built a healthy 7-3 lead in their head-to-head, including all the clay meetings, and most recently in Monte-Carlo last month.
Both had cause to be optimistic: Tsitsipas had just won his second Monte-Carlo Masters, and had notched up more match-wins this season than anyone else, 27 and counting, with a semi run at the Australian Open and the final in Rotterdam.
Zverev’s Madrid titles were just two among five Masters he had won, and he was now looking for his 10th Masters final.
But whichever made it to Sunday would face the most popular man in Spain—and one that happens to have one of the biggest games around.