India, Feb. 5 -- Rod Laver Arena has arguably never been as loud with the "Nole" chants as it was when Carlos Alcaraz misread Novak Djokovic's return on a wide serve. For the first time since early in the second set, Djokovic had earned a break point in the final. But in the two hours that had elapsed since, the match and its momentum, had shifted dramatically.

A set earlier, Djokovic had been on the brink of clipping Alcaraz's wings and soaring closer to his long-cherished dream of a historic 25th major. Now, at 40-30 up in the ninth game of the fourth set, the 38-year-old was jostling for survival.

He roped the crowd in, egging them on, searching for a last gasp of inspiration, perhaps even a way to burrow into Alcaraz's mind as the r...