10 Best matches in men's tennis in 2023 ft. Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz

The tennis season in 2023 is over, with Novak Djokovic yet again finishing the year as the World No. 1. Carlos Alcaraz emerged as a worthy challenger as he managed to win his first Wimbledon title this year.

In this article, we will take a look at the 10 greatest matches in men's tennis this year.

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#1. Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 (ATP World Tour Finals)

The 22-year-old Sinner of Italy has had a very fine year and performed the best against Djokovic out of all the players of his generation. He beat Djokovic in the group stage of the World Tour Finals in three sets.

On a fast court in Turin, Sinner’s powerful groundstrokes came to the fore and he managed to rattle the Serb’s defence at times. It was a demonstration of their powerful serves as well, as Sinner and Djokovic fired 15 and 19 aces, respectively, in the match.

#2. Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 (Wimbledon final)

It was termed as the proverbial passing of the baton, as the young Spaniard won his first title at the All England Club by triumphing in a pulsating match. Alcaraz started by hitting his strokes flat but started using his slices, top spin and drop shots more often as the match progressed.

It was quite similar to Roger Federer’s win in the 2001 Wimbledon quarterfinals against Pete Sampras that marked a change in the pecking order in world tennis.

However, Djokovic then went on to win the next Grand Slam, the US Open, to prove that he was far from finished. He also wrested the No. 1 position from the young Spaniard.

#3. Djokovic beat Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 (Western & Southern Open final)

In the scorching heat in Cincinnati, Djokovic matched the fitness levels of his opponent who was 16 years younger than him. The Serb was a set and a break down in the match. He staged a great comeback to win it after a gruelling three hours and 49 minutes.

The Serb applied pressure on Alcaraz’s backhand from the beginning and as the match progressed, the latter started committing errors more frequently off his backhand. Djokovic still had to save a championship point in the second set before prevailing in the end.

#4. Djokovic beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6, 7-6, 6-2 (French Open third round)

The scoreline might suggest an easy win for Djokovic, but the fact that the match lasted more than three and a half hours indicates how close it was.

There were two marathon sets in the match, each of which went into a tie-break and were won by the Serb. Djokovic had to withstand some fierce hitting by Fokina to win the first two sets before racing through the third one.

#5. Andrey Rublev beat Holger Rune 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 (Monte Carlo Masters final)

It was a sensational win for Rublev that gave him his first Masters 1000 title after a typical clay-court slugfest of more than three hours. Rune won the first set, but Rublev bounced back riding primarily on his forehand to win the next two.

A straightforward overhead smash that Rune missed in the final set sealed the fate of the match in favour of the Russian.

#6. Sinner beat Djokovic 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 (Davis Cup semifinal)

Sinner and Djokovic have faced each other frequently of late and the Italian had the last laugh in the Davis Cup semifinal in Malaga.

However, it was not before he saved a match point on his own serve that Sinner was able to win the match. The match went on for more than two and a half hours.

#7. Daniil Medvedev beat Alcaraz 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 (US Open semifinal)

There are not too many better players than the Russian on hardcourts as Alcaraz found out in New York. Medvedev cruised to a two-set lead. This was followed by a brief comeback from the Spaniard, but Medvedev prevailed in the fourth set to win the match.

Alcaraz's inability to hit his down-the-line forehands led to his undoing in the match. However, Medvedev played close to his best on the day.

#8. Sinner beat Alcaraz 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 (Miami Open semifinal)

Sinner ended the Spaniard’s winning streak to reach the final in Miami. Their semifinal clash lasted for around three hours, as the Italian held firm after losing the first set.

However, Alcaraz made the Italian's job easier by committing nine double faults in the match. The Italian's solid baseline game though helped his cause considerably.

#9. Tommy Paul beat Alcaraz 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 (National Bank Open quarterfinal)

It was a day when Alcaraz's forehand was overshadowed by that of his American opponent. Paul also won 21 of 23 net points to dish out a complete performance to topple the Spaniard.

The match lasted for almost two and a half hours. Paul emerged victorious in the end, ending the newly-crowned Wimbledon champion's 14-match winning streak.

#10. Djokovic beat Alexander Zverev 7-6, 7-5 (Western & Southern Open semifinal)

It was a highly entertaining match that saw the two players matching each other stroke for stroke. After the first set was decided in a tie-break, Djokovic was up a break in the second, serving for the match at 5-4.

However, Zverev then broke back to level the score, but Djokovic broke him once again. The Serb then served the match out easily to book his place in the final.