World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz ended Novak Djokovic’s hopes of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam to claim his maiden Wimbledon title.
Alcaraz made history as the youngest men’s champion at the All England Club since Boris Becker in 1985 on Sunday as he recovered from a set down to deny Djokovic a fifth consecutive Wimbledon crown in a 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 five-set epic spanning four hours and 43 minutes.
This topped the Spaniard’s US Open glory by shattering Djokovic’s monopoly on grass, a surface on which Alcaraz’s expertise had faced question marks only for him to emerge victorious at both Queen’s and now Centre Court.
The 20-year-old is the first player since 2002 not named Djokovic, Federer, Nadal or Andy Murray to lift the men’s Wimbledon trophy.
Djokovic, whose chances of a Calendar Slam came to an end, meanwhile has no intentions of accommodating a smooth transition into tennis’ Alcaraz-led chapter as he eyes a fresh rivalry with the Spaniard.
Alcaraz has a mental resilience and real maturity with a Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit for someone who is 20 years old which is quite impressive, which is what we’ve seen with Rafa Nadal over the years.
Carlos Alcaraz in his own words tagged beating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final as the “happiest moment of my life” so far; Djokovic on his part admits he has “never played anybody like” the world No 1 after being denied an eighth title at Wimbledon and seeing his hopes of a Calendar Slam in 2023 come to an end.
Alcaraz laughed it off when informed of Djokovic comparing him to the three players he grew up studying. His reminder of as much during his on-court interview had prompted a funny moment from Djokovic as the 36-year-old sported an ‘I feel old’ grimace.
The Grand Slam finals will follow in their numbers, but for now a marathon triumph over an imperious Djokovic will take some beating.
