Following his maiden Wimbledon title win, after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final of the men's singles competition, young Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz expressed his admiration for the Serbian legend who fought his heart out in the final, saying that Djokovic is an inspiration for him. Twenty-year-old Alcaraz produced a masterful comeback performance against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic to win the men's singles final match 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 here at the Centre Court on Sunday.
"I have to congratulate Novak, it was amazing to play against him. You inspire me a lot. I started playing tennis watching you. Since I was born you were already winning tournaments. You said 36 is the new 26 and you make that happen. It is amazing," said Alcaraz after the game.
Djokovic had turned pro in 2003, the same year Alcaraz was born in the month of May. Djokovic won his first-ever Grand Slam title in 2008 at the Australian Open, when Alcaraz was a four-year-old. The Spanish sensation won his second major title, having triumphed at the 2022 US Open. The 20-year-old Spaniard snapped Djokovic's 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon with his four-hour, 42-minute victory in a most incredible fashion.
Djokovic converted two of his six break points to deliver an early statement in the pair's third ATP Head2Head series. Alcaraz, whose powerful groundstrokes enabled him to advance to his first Wimbledon final with just two sets lost, was unable to consistently break through his opponent's resistance.
On serve, Djokovic carried on with his amazing tournament. In the first game of the set, he only had one break point, and he once sent his second serve down at 120 mph in response to Alcaraz attacking his second serve. The Serbian dominated the show in the first set as he broke Alcaraz twice to eventually seal the set 6-1. Alcaraz levelled the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic at 1-6, 7-6(6) after clinching an intriguing 85-minute second set.
Despite the Serbian player's efforts to rally and have a set chance at 6/5, the World No. 1 maintained his composure behind serve and eventually powered a rasping backhand return winner on his first set point to equalise the match.
The Spaniard overcame a rapid start from Djokovic to lead the Serbian 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1. In the third set, Alcaraz proceeded to display his extensive shotmaking repertoire in the third set, buoyed by his victory in the tie-break. He kept the pressure on Djokovic, who made 18 unforced errors in an atypical third set performance, with to his forehand power and some incredible deft touches.
Alcaraz broke Djokovic three times in the third set, including in a remarkable 27-minute game at 3-1 which featured 13 deuces, to move ahead in a gripping championship match on Centre Court. In the fourth set, Djokovic was determined to win a record-breaking 24th major, and the Serbian upped his game once more in the fourth set of what was turning out to be an all-time great final on Centre Court. After holding in the second game after recovering from 15/40, he reverted to his rock-solid play from the first set, broke Alcaraz twice to regain the initiative and set up a one-set shootout for the championship.
After losing his serve three times in the previous set, Djokovic's service game improved, which allowed him to reenter the game. The Serbian won the set despite only hitting nine wins to Alcaraz's fourteen, saving both break points he was presented with.
The Spaniard came out all guns blazing and clinched the final match by 6-4 in the decider. Alcaraz became just the fifth man in the Open Era to win multiple major titles prior to turning 21.
