“Ultimately that was suicidal,” Toni Nadal feels Novak Djokovic tried hiding from a “long and physical” match against Carlos Alcaraz

Djokovic has been beaten to the Wimbledon title by Alcaraz for the second successive year.

“Ultimately that was suicidal,” Toni Nadal feels Novak Djokovic tried hiding from a “long and physical” match against Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic and Toni Nadal (via Imago)

Novak Djokovic’s disappointing performance earned him a defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final. Reflecting on the match, Rafael Nadal‘s uncle Toni Nadal singled out the Serbian’s tactical blunders against the World No. 3.

Djokovic is known for using different tactics during matches when they get difficult to win. In his semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti, the Italian even hailed him for the same. Djokovic won that match in three sets, learning from their French Open meeting ending in five sets.

However, against Alcaraz, Djokovic began the match with his usual tactics: neutralizing his opponent by pushing them to the baseline. But, that didn’t go well on the outdoor Centre Court as Alcaraz was physical enough to adjust his game plan, making it difficult for the 37-year-old.

Djokovic opted for a physical approach like Alcaraz in the third set but was not good enough to beat the youngster and eventually lost 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4). Toni Nadal explained that the tactics the 24-time Grand Slam winner deployed in the third set were suicidal.

Djokovic opted for the second solution. Knowing that neither his legs nor the precision of his shots are those of yesteryear, and that a long and physical match would not favor him either, he tried a tactic that ultimately proved suicidal. He wanted to impose a high pace, play aggressively, shorten rallies from the back of the court and, at the slightest opportunity, close points at the net.

Toni Nadal wrote in El Pais

Despite being ranked World No. 2 currently, Djokovic could well be at the tail-end of his career. He is without a title by the end of July for the first time in a season since 2006. He will next be in action at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he will be hoping to win the elusive gold medal.

Novak Djokovic admits Carlos Alcaraz was more battle-ready than their Last Wimbledon meeting

Novak Djokovic admitted that Carlos Alcaraz was much more ready for battle compared to the 2023 Wimbledon final. While he fell short in their last year’s encounter in a five-set thriller, he was dominated by Alcaraz yesterday.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

It was Djokovic’s first three-set loss in a Wimbledon final in over a decade. The last time he faced such a straightforward defeat was against Andy Murray in 2013. After the defeat, the former World No. 1 admitted that Alcaraz played against him with tenacity and confidence.

I think he was coming out from the blocks ready to battle and ready to play his best level right away, which wasn’t the case last year where I started better, had a comfortable first-set win. Today, from the first point, he was there, he was ready.

Novak Djokovic said via The Guardian

Djokovic is still searching for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam and having stumbled in Melbourne, Paris, and London, he will be hoping to go the distance at the US Open in September.

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