Indeed, the Spaniard’s dexterity is such that, watching him blast mighty forehands into the corners and caress delicate drop shots that clear the net by infinitesimal margins, it can be easy to forget that tennis is one of the world’s most challenging and frustrating sports. But on Friday night in Toronto, Alcaraz received a brutal reminder of that truth as he was bundled out of the Canadian Open by Tommy Paul, a 26-year-old American ranked 14 in the world, for the second year in a row. 

Paul’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 quarter-final victory will be remembered not only for the Australian Open semi-finalist’s all-court excellence, but also for the manner in which Alcaraz slipped to defeat. As the Spaniard struggled to find his customary precision and consistency, his trademark smiles gave way to snarls of exasperation. After finishing the opening set as he began it, with a double-fault, Alcaraz hurled his racket towards his chair; after a wayward return game early in the second set, he loudly and repeatedly exclaimed “No puedo!” – “I can’t!” – towards his box. It was all very un-Alcaraz.

“I realise that I didn’t play well, you know, these matches,” said the Spaniard, who blew a 5-2 lead in the final set of a tight 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3) win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the previous round.  

“All I can do now is practice to be better. I have some weeks before US Open. But now I have to be focused on Cincinnati. It’s a Masters 1000. It’s a big tournament as well. So I have to talk with my team. I have to fly to Cincinnati, prepare well. 

“But, obviously, I take a lot of lessons from this tournament, coming to the next ones.” 

History suggests it would be unwise to read too much into Alcaraz’s early loss at what was his first tournament since last month’s Wimbledon victory over Novak Djokovic. The last player to follow a maiden win at the All England Club with a title at their next tournament was Rafael Nadal, who won in Toronto in 2008 just three weeks after defeating Roger Federer in SW19. Regardless of the outcome here, Alcaraz will begin his title defence in New York later this month disputing favouritism with Djokovic. 

Nor should Paul’s role in denying the Spaniard a 50th match win of the season be overlooked. The American earned a place in his first Masters 1000 semi-final the hard way, absorbing Alcaraz’s pace, feasting on his opponent’s second serve and producing a dominant display at the net, where he was successful in all but two of his 23 forays. Not even a moment of spectacular athleticism from Alcaraz, who fired a tweener for a winning pass amid a rare spell of dominance, could derail Paul. Shrugging off the loss of the second set, the American forced a volleying error to claim a break in the sixth game of the decider and never looked back. 

“Even though he’s the best player in the world right now, he’s No 1 in the world, I think the level overall was better last year,” said Paul, who has now won two of his three meetings with Alcaraz.  

“But I think my game plan was a little bit more set this year. I had never played him, never stepped foot on court with him before that first match. So I was kind of figuring it out. He was figuring me out.  

“I know, after that match last year, he was saying that he was dealing with pressure of being at the top of the game. And, I mean, he’s changed a lot. He’s grown a lot, and he’s definitely handling that pressure pretty well, going into Wimbledon and tearing it up there.        

“[But] it helps knowing that you can beat your opponent. You never want to walk on the court and be like, ‘I don’t know if I can beat this guy.’ It’s the attitude you’ve got to have no matter who you are playing. I would say it helped a little bit.”

With that in mind, a semi-final against Jannik Sinner should not be a source of trepidation for Paul, who won the most recent of his two meetings with the Italian on the grass courts of Eastbourne last summer. Sinner, seeded seventh, came through his quarter-final against the French veteran Gaël Monfils 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

In the bottom half, Alex de Minaur will face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The unseeded Australian saw off Daniil Medvedev, the second seed, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 to ensure that the tournament will produce a first-time Masters 1000 winner.

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Djokovic, who committed an eyebrow-raising 39 unforced errors, admitted afterwards that he was “not pleased” about the furore, which comes at an unwelcome moment as he bears down on a 22nd grand slam title. Srdjan did not attend the match, electing to watch from his hotel room after footage emerged of him posing with Putin sympathisers following his son’s quarter-final win over Andrey Rublev. One of the men wore a T-shirt bearing the letter “Z”, a pro-war symbol that has been adopted by supporters of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Djokovic senior said in a statement released on Friday that he had not intended to create “headlines or disruption” and had inadvertently become caught up among demonstrators as he sought to join Serbian fans gathered outside Rod Laver Arena. But the pictures caused an international incident, with Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia calling for Srdjan to be stripped of his accreditation, and Tennis Australia was moved to release a statement of its own underlining its support for “peace and an end to war and violent conflict in Ukraine”.

“It has got to me,” admitted Djokovic after booking his place in Sunday’s final against Stefanos Tsitsipas. “I was not aware of it till last night. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that.

“My father, my whole family, and myself, have been through several wars during the 90s. As my father put in a statement, we are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war. We know how devastating that is for the family, for people in any country that is going through the war.”

Even as he won five of the first six games, there was a palpable unease about Djokovic. By the time he steered a regulation forehand into the net to miss a set point at 5-1, he had racked up an unthinkable 16 unforced errors. For context, that is only five fewer than he committed over the entire duration of his victories over Roberto Carballés Baena and Andrey Rublev earlier in the tournament.

Even more inexplicably, Djokovic then became embroiled in a contretemps with the chair umpire, Damien Dumusois, over the use of the shot-clock, which he argued should not have started until he had finished towelling off. The exchange triggered a run of four straight games for Paul, an unseeded American ranked 35th and appearing in his first grand slam semi-final, and although Djokovic recovered to take the set, he was booed as he went to his chair. With characteristic belligerence, he was having none of it, inviting the crowd to intensify their taunting before pointing to the vociferous pocket of Serbian supporters and waving a fist to the rhythm of their chants as they chorused his name.

It was another testy moment in a tournament that has been full of them for Djokovic. But he tends to thrive on conflict, and so it was again as he raised his level to sweep through the next two sets. Djokovic said afterwards that his father had been unwittingly “misused”, and expressed hope that he would return to his box for Sunday’s final, where the winner will not only claim the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup but also relieve the absent Carlos Alcaraz of the No 1 ranking.

“My father, as he said in the statement, has been going after every single match to meet with my fans at the main square here [at the] Australian Open, to thank them for the support, to be with them, pay them respect, and make photos,” said Djokovic, who appears less limited by the hamstring injury that afflicted him earlier in the fortnight. 

“The photo that he made, he was passing through. I heard what he said in the video. He said, ‘Cheers.’ Unfortunately, some of the media has interpreted that.  

“I’m sorry that that has escalated so much. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that. My father, as I said, was passing through. There was a lot of Serbian flags around. That’s what he thought. He thought he was making [a] photo with somebody from Serbia. That’s it. He moved on.  

“Of course, it’s not pleasant for me to go through this, with all the things that I had to deal with last year and this year in Australia. It’s not something that I want or need. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.”

Such focus will be needful against Tsitsipas, who continued his impressive progress at his “home slam” with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov. The Greek third seed looked poised for a straight-sets victory when he twice held match point in the third set, but Khachanov held firm to extend the contest. At that point Tsitsipas – ever a faithful adherent to the view that, when the going gets tough, the tough head off for a bathroom break – made recourse to a well-rehearsed routine for dealing with such situations. Duly refreshed, he returned to see out the victory, his first in four attempts at this stage of the tournament.

It sets up a repeat of the 2021 French Open final, which Tsitsipas led by two sets to love before Djokovic cantered to victory. In a brazen-faced act of psychological one-upmanship, Djokovic professed not to remember the match when the subject was raised earlier this week. “I don’t remember either,” Tsitsipas deadpanned. 

“I’m playing great tennis,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there. Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face. This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I’m able to produce. That is more than enough.”

Whether it is, we shall see on Sunday.

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“A lot of things going on the last couple of months, without a doubt,” said Nadal. “But we are always ready to find excuses.

“At the end, it’s always the same: you play well, you win; you don’t, you lose. And today for moments, putting everything in a pack, I was playing quite well.  Then at the right moment, I didn’t make the right things, no? So that’s it. He played well. He’s having a great year.  

“Credit to him too that he played with the right intensity and right concentration, and going for the shots, no? I think I was doing that for a while, but then I was not able to keep doing [it].”

It has been a stop-start year for Nadal, who cracked a rib at the Indian Wells Masters in March, forcing him to miss the start of the European clay-court swing, and then withdrew from the Wimbledon semi-finals with a torn abdominal muscle that limited his US Open preparations.

Consolations have been plentiful for the Spaniard, who won the Australian Open in January after returning from a chronic foot injury that he feared might cost him his career, and went on to claim a 14th title at Roland Garros. Paradoxically, though, despite those successes – which carried him clear of Federer and Novak Djokovic at the top of the men’s grand slam leaderboard – and notwithstanding the career-best 20-match winning streak with which he began the season, sustained momentum has been hard to come by.

Having arrived in Paris with only five competitive matches under his belt since early July, Nadal was understandably slow to find his range. An uncharacteristically aggressive return position just behind the baseline – rather than pinned up against the backstop, as is his wont – did little to help. Neither did Paul’s aggression and athleticism. A running forehand pass, flicked past Nadal in the opening game at full stretch, was an early contender for shot of the tournament. It took Paul just two games to eclipse it, another sinew-stretching sprint culminating with a one-handed backhand pass from the double-handed American that Nadal could only watch and applaud. 

Broken in that game, Nadal mounted an instant recovery, capitalising on a slew of errors from Paul to draw level before gradually stamping his authority on proceedings. At a set and a break to the good, the 22-time slam champion looked to be in control. But a pair of unforced forehand errors handed the initiative back to Paul, who broke to love with a sharp return, and more mistakes followed in the tiebreak. At 4-1 down in the decider, Nadal sat brooding in his chair, head bowed and beads of sweat streaming freely down his face. His race was run.

“All the credit to Tommy,” said Nadal, whose defeat ended any prospect of him overhauling Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the world rankings for the time being. “I think he played aggressive, a lot of great shots. I had my match in that second set, with a set and a break. I played a terrible game there. 

“I didn’t deserve the victory, playing that bad in that key moment. Until that moment [it] was OK, a good match for me, knowing that is my first match since a while.”

Nadal said he still hoped to play in the ATP Finals, which begin in Turin on 13 November, but emphasised he would need more time on court to be competitive.

“I hope to be there,” said Nadal. “I’m excited about playing, even if it hasn’t been the perfect couple of months for me. But, yeah, nothing to lose. After a good year, going there, just trying my best. At the end I need days on the tour. 

“It’s true that for the last five months I didn’t spend enough days on the tour. I don’t even say competing on a tennis court, I say on the tour. Practising with the guys. That’s what I need. 

“If nothing happens, if I’m feeling OK, [I will try] to be there a little bit earlier than usual and have some practices. Just give myself a chance to enjoy another World Tour Finals, no? You never know when it’s going to be the last, especially at my age.”

It was a bad day all round for new fathers. Daniil Medvedev, whose daughter was born last month, less than a week after Nadal’s son arrived, earlier tumbled to a shock defeat against Australia’s Alex de Minaur. The fourth-seeded Russian, who led by a break in the decider and saved two match points at 5-4, was beaten 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. Medvedev, a finalist In Paris-Bercy last year, will now slip out of the top four.

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In Indian Wells, Paul’s singular skillset spelled trouble for Alexander Zverev, who was beaten 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) in his first match since the ATP handed him a suspended ban for smashing his racket into the umpire’s chair at last month’s Mexican Open. Zverev’s second loss in two meetings with Paul, who beat him in straight sets in Acapulco two years ago, leaves a gaping hole in the lower half of a draw already shorn of second seed Novak Djokovic. For the many observers who believe the third-seeded German’s behaviour in Acapulco merited stronger action, however, it will be seen as poetic justice.

On a blustery night in the California desert, Paul was the steadier of mind and stroke. With his quick feet and compact strokes, the 24-year-old appeared relatively untroubled by the conditions, serving with conviction and consistency while dumbfounding Zverev with his unalloyed aggression on the return. Like a boxer throwing a series of well-aimed jabs, Paul took the German’s second delivery on the rise, pouncing on the ball from a metre inside the baseline before charging into the forecourt, where he volleyed with authority and imagination. 

While Paul approached the contest with a clear game plan, Zverev looked unsettled from the outset. Struggling to find his range and timing, the German was a set down and on the verge of conceding a potentially fatal break by the time he began to find his bearings. But at 15-40 down in the fifth game of the second set, Zverev delivered a thunderous ace that signalled the start of a dramatic comeback. As the world No 3 compiled a run of 24 successive points on serve, Paul faltered for the first time, sending a forehand long as he served to stay in the second set. 

Another overhit forehand from the American propelled Zverev to a 4-2 lead in the decider but, with the match seemingly on his racket, the German gifted the break back with a pair of double faults. Sensing his opportunity, Paul began the climactic tiebreak with a raking backhand return that set the tone for a near-flawless display of controlled aggression as he sealed the biggest win of his career.

“I started well, I came to the net a ton and put a lot of pressure on his serve,” said Paul, who will play Alex de Minaur of Australia, the 29th seed, in round three. “He started serving really well there in the second set and even into the third, but I got kind of lucky there when I got down a break. We’ll always take those.”

Alexander Bublik, the 31st seed from Kazakhstan, earlier secured his first win in three meetings with Andy Murray, saving three set points en route to a 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 victory.

“Both of us had some chances there, but in the first set I certainly created more of the opportunities and I didn’t take them,” said Murray, who secured his 700th ATP Tour win against Taro Daniel in the previous round.

“He obviously came up with some good serves at times, but I certainly had my chances and, you know, against players that play that style of tennis and have big serves and [are] not easy to break, you need to, when you get those chances, be ruthless. I just didn’t quite play well enough in those moments.”

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