Djokovic tries his best in time-warp final but cannot stop compelling decline

In front of Rafael Nadal and famous actors, 24-time grand slam champion had raucous support but could not stop Carlos Alcaraz

“N

o-le, No-le,” the bald fan with a beard began shouting. “No-le, No-le,” he continued, with gusto. As this marvel of a match hung in the balance, arguably the greatest player of all time had just saved two set points against the world No 1. The score was one set apiece, the match almost two hours old.

“No-le,” the fan continued. “No-le, No-le,” others joined in, until hundreds were in echo. This growing chorus may not have arrived at Melbourne Park on Sunday night in support of Novak Djokovic – he is a divisive character, after all – but they certainly did not want this historic night to end. “No-le, No-le,” as the Serb served an ace, landing neatly in the corner, and a roar went up.

This was a tennis time warp that logic should never have allowed. The third-largest age gap between players in modern men’s grand slam final history, at almost 16 years, was itself unusual. That the elder player was almost 39 made this spectacle remarkable. This was tennis of two timelines, converging under Melbourne Park’s open roof.