Wimbledon, United Kingdom – If there were any doubts about Carlos Alcaraz’s pedigree as a tennis great in the making, the 21-year-old swept them aside with a crushing straight-sets win over Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon.
The Spaniard raced to his second Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win over the 24-time Grand Slam winner from Serbia on a sunny afternoon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in southern London on Sunday.
Alcaraz was in control for most of the duration of the match that lasted just under two and a half hours, but had to fight back to finish the job in the third set tie-break after blowing away three championship points earlier on.
That moment, in the middle of the third set, was the only time Djokovic had an upper hand in the final that was played at the 21-year-old Alcaraz’s scintillating pace.
Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, admitted he was fighting to survive in the face of the whirlwind challenge from a man 16 years his junior.
“I have never seen Carlos serve this well – he was playing beautifully and I was half a step behind him throughout the match,” Djokovic said after the match.
Djokovic opened the final with his serve, but Alcaraz won the opening game after it swayed between both players for 15 minutes. The fist-pumping defending champion knew how crucial that opening break was, and Djokovic admitted it “set the tone” for the rest of the match.
Alcaraz raced around Centre Court, winning seemingly impossible points in a stunning display of agility and skill that the 37-year-old Djokovic had no answer for.
The second set was played in a copybook manner of the first and the reigning French Open champion Alcaraz raced to a 2-0 lead in the final in one hour and 16 minutes.
The match was in stark contrast with last year’s five-set epic final, which Djokovic said he had an equal chance of winning had it not been for a few crucial moments that went the other way.
The difference between the 2023 and 2024 finals was Alcaraz’s confidence and self-belief having come into Wimbledon on the back of a French Open title-winning run, as well as Djokovic’s struggles with fitness after going through a knee surgery.
The Serb admitted that even reaching the final seemed a distant dream four weeks ago when he pulled out of the French Open due to injury.
Despite looking like a spent force in the first two sets against the fitter and stronger Alcaraz, Djokovic showed glimpses of his greatness in the third set and threatened to take the final away from the man in the ascendency.
At 5-4 and serving for the championship, Alcaraz struggled with his serve and Djokovic fought back to get on level terms. The experienced Serb was smiling and looking up for the first time in the match with the crowd firmly behind him in stark contrast to his previous matches, where he accused them of booing him.
However, Alcaraz had plenty of support of his own and the sprightly young player fought back to win the third set and his second title at the historic tennis venue.
‘I want to keep going’
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz admitted he was in dreamland.
“It is a dream for me winning this trophy. I did an interview when I was 11 and I said my dream is to win Wimbledon. I want it to keep going.”
When asked about his feelings on being the second man in the open era of tennis to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, Alcaraz termed it a “huge honour”.
The four-time Grand Slam winner said it was “really happy to be on the same table as Novak and other huge champions.
“I don’t consider myself a champion yet. Not like them. I try to keep going and building my path, my journey.”
With a chance to win the Olympic gold with his compatriot and hero Rafael Nadal up next, the red-hot Spaniard may not be far behind his idols.
As for Djokovic, the journey is not yet over.
“I want to go to the Olympics and win a medal for my country,” he said when prompted on his plans for the future.
The record Grand Slam winner has no plans of hanging up his boots afterwards, either, with that 25th title very much a goal.
The upcoming US Open will give him another shot and who knows, the resilient Serb may even come back to SW19 – the home of Wimbledon in London – one last time in 2025.
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