Novak Djokovic may finally have run out of house money

Novak Djokovic sat down on the changeover at 4-5 in the fourth set of his struggle with Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open on Sunday night. He had a towel draped in his lap, another over his shoulders. Suddenly, he appeared lost in a reverie, his mind seemingly a million miles away—as if the last thing on it were the upcoming critical game.

With Rafael Nadal looking on from the front row in Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic might have been tangled in the memory of one of their epic clashes. Or perhaps he was wondering if his kids were asleep, or marveling at how his career seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye.

Then the chair umpire called “time” and Djokovic snapped out of it, swiped a towel across his face one more time, got up and walked out to play what could be the last game of this final, perhaps the last game he’s destined to play Down Under.

Read: Djokovic jokes playing "two against one" with Alcaraz and AO attendee Nadal

But, this being Novak Djokovic, he fought off the inevitable for two more games before Alcaraz broke his serve to win the title—thereby becoming the youngest man in tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam—by the score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

‘I knew what I needed to do. But just some things happened and my energy, my level went completely down from north to south in two games,” Djokovic would later say, describing how his torrid start evaporated into an error-prone struggle for most of the next two sets and beyond.

“I managed to recuperate and kind of feel re-energized, as I said, [in the] mid-fourth [set]. I was close. I was close, but it wasn't meant to be.”

At age 38, Djokovic may finally have run out of house money.

The Australian Open has been his redoubt. He previously played 10 singles finals, the most at any major for the men’s Grand Slam record holder, and won every blasted one. He came into this event with legs even fresher than those of his rivals. En route to the final, he benefited from a fourth-round walkover, and he was halfway to the airport in the quarterfinals before Lorenzo Musetti was obliged to quit with injury early in the third set, after winning the first two.

I'm going to keep pushing and see if I get another chance. Novak Djokovic

The way Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been lapping the field makes it preposterous to suggest that this was Djokovic’s tournament to win. At the same time, it’s the best look he’s had lately, and things—including Jannik Sinner’s stunning inability to convert break points against Djokovic in the semis—were breaking for him like one of those perfect waves on the nation’s Gold Coast.

Djokovic was well aware of the luck visited on him this past fortnight. He said he was “grateful for it,” but added, “Overall, for sure it's been a fantastic tournament. Yeah, I knew that I'd probably have to beat two of them (Alcaraz and Sinner) on the way to the title. I beat one, which is great, so it's a step further than last year. . . Very nice, very encouraging But, you know, not enough for me. Yeah, let's see. I'm going to keep pushing and see if I get another chance.”

The comment seems to beg for the rejoinder, a reminder that “Pride goeth before the fall.” But that’s alright, great athletes—and Djokovic by now is perched high on their Olympus—all have such insatiable and sometimes seemingly unrealistic ambitions. At the same time, they frequently turn a blind eye to less favorable realities.

That house money mentioned above? It is a powerful and liberating advantage, especially for someone like Djokovic. He’s endured the stress created by his vaunted rivalries. He dealt beautifully with the pressures attending his success in a sport where, in the daily flow of things, you’re not much better than your most recent result. He’s borne the burden of having to prove and reprove and re-reprove himself time and again on the biggest stages of the game. But since winning singles title No. 24, he’s like the latest 18-year old sensation, an Iva Jovic or Joao Fonseca. He’s been unburdened by expectations and he’s clearly loved every minute of it.

One of the most notable aspects of late-stage Djokovic is just how much of a drama king he’s become. On a seemingly endless quest to win the public’s affection, he’s brought forth his emotions, developing a heroic persona. His acrobatic movements, even—or maybe especially—those that are ungainly, are often exaggerated. When it comes to fatigue he isn’t exactly faking it, but he sure knows how to milk it. Djokovic likes to present as stoic when it comes to enduring physical punishment, but he’s worked out how to make a demonstration out of his suffering. He’s earned a place in the hall-of-fame for showmen, too.

Djokovic hinted after the match that the severe drop in his form after he won the first set was due to some sort of ailment or injury that he would not discuss (this kind of telling-without-telling has become commonplace among the players). It would be a real pity if that were the case, especially with Djokovic looking so spry and ageless so much of the time, right? But you can’t get around the fact that the Serbian star’s mind is writing checks that his body can’t cash. Being 38 isn’t Djokovic’s problem, the things that come with it are.

Alcaraz’s variety is such that he was able to wear down Djokovic in a way that Sinner, with his still largely minimalist game, could not. At some level, this result was predictable. But the real measure of Djokovic, his legacy when it comes to the intangibles will be his championship grit, his continuing to hope even when all seems hopeless. Sinner and Alcaraz, the twin titans of today’s game, jointly won just seven of a grand total of 34 break points against Djokovic. Facing a break point, Djokovic struggles like a mighty fish on a thin line. He isn’t landed that often.

During the trophy presentation ceremony, Djokovic praised Alcaraz profusely. He called him “legendary” and added, joking, “You’re so young, like myself. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other many more times in the next 10 years.”

Wouldn't it be nice if that could happen?