Sliding in tennis: the game’s defining evolution is gliding on to hard courts

World No 1s Alcaraz and Swiatek are following in Djokovic's slick footsteps and taking sliding to the US Open and beyond

As the delirious battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic moved closer towards its climax in Cincinnati last Sunday, Alcaraz desperately tried to hold on. Down a championship point at 3-5 in the third set, the 20-year-old pulled off a stroke of genius to stay alive. He dragged Djokovic to the net with a slick drop shot, then he rapidly chased down the Serb's own delicate drop shot before steering a forehand past him at the net. Djokovic described the point as unbelievable".

The court coverage exhibited by the pair time and time again was just as significant as the breathless shotmaking that preceded it. The final four shots of that point, and so many others that night, were soundtracked by the burning of rubber beneath their feet as they slid to the ball, stopped and immediately changed direction with startling efficiency.