Wilander's tennis poker: "If Alcaraz gives Novak a finger - he will take his hand"

The Spaniard and the Serb will fight for a place in the final at "Arthur Ashe" in the ninth head to head match, and after the first eight, Novak leads with 5:3.

Wilander pointed out in his column for "L'Equip" that Djokovic's chances are better against Alcaraz than Sinner.

"The big difference between the Djokovic-Sinner and Djokovic-Alcaraz matches is that Novak can beat Alcaraz. With the Spaniard, there is hope that he will not have a great day, that he will have ups and downs. In that case, Novak has a chance. If Alcaraz plays as he has done since the beginning of the tournament... He is somehow sharper than before, makes less mistakes. Without those crashes, it is almost impossible to stay in touch with them. He seems very strong to me, but he has not been tested yet. And Novak knows how to disrupt his rhythm, which is easier to do than with Sinner," Wilander wrote.

He knows how Novak has to play if he wants to win.

"Novak will determine if Alcaraz is having a bad day, if he just needs to keep the ball in the court or if he needs to be more aggressive. In his place, I would start the match aggressively, refusing to make a mistake at all costs, not chasing winners, but also not being passive. In fact, Novak has to give Alcaraz a chance to make a mistake. If he plays too fast, Alcaraz will be on the defensive and not make mistakes. He has to give him a chance to open, to do strong and make a mistake, two. It's a poker game but that's his only chance. Novak is too big to be too aggressive from the start. Plan A is to say: 'I might be 38 but I'm still Novak Djokovic and you'll have to beat me', because if he gives Novak the finger, he'll take his hand."