Alcaraz put aside a poor start to beat Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the match, ending Djokovic’s stint in the 34 consecutive victories at the All England Club.A riveting, back-and-forth finale
Post Date – 11:43 PM, Sun – July 23rd 16th
Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz says he wants to challenge Novak Djokovic again. Said it would make winning Wimbledon even more special. Well, Alcaraz has a chance to face Djokovic. He beat him.
Alcaraz put aside a poor start to beat Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the match, ending Djokovic’s stint in the 34 consecutive victories at the All England Club. A riveting, back-and-forth final on Sunday earned him his first Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam trophy.
Top-ranked Alcaraz prevented Djokovic from capturing a record-tying eighth title at the grass-court tournament, and fifth in a row. Djokovic also failed to claim his 24th career Grand Slam.
36-year-old Serbian Djokovic became the oldest Wimbledon male champion in the Open era, while 20-year-old Alcaraz from Spain became the third youngest Wimbledon male champion. The age gap between the pair is the widest of any men’s Grand Slam final since 1974.
So Alcaraz has young players around him, and of course he did when they met at the French Open last month. That one played well in both sets before Alcaraz cramped and faded. This time, he has the stamina and the strokes to overtake Djokovic.
Alcaraz is faster and more powerful — serving up to 130 mph on the serve and 100 mph on the forehand — but Djokovic has a wealth of talent and plenty of muscle memory. He’s been there before, and done it in a way that Alcaraz can only dream of right now.
But if the win on Center Court (the last time Djokovic lost in the 2013 final) on a windy and cloudy day is any indication, Alcaraz himself is achieving quite a bit.
It’s still relatively new for him, though: Djokovic’s record-setting 35th Grand Slam final was Alcaraz’s second.
However, Alcaraz scored 32 points in a 25-minute mini-game to win the third set. Alcaraz broke serve with a backhand pass winner in the fifth to take the lead forever and make it 2-1. Djokovic stumbled at this point, but was quickly back on his feet, responding by slamming his racket into the post and letting go after hitting the ball. He destroyed his own equipment and was called a violation by referee Fergus Murphy.
They played another 24 minutes, bringing the total to over 4 1/2 hours, but Alcaraz never let up, never conceded. It was Alcaraz, not Djokovic, who received the trophy that night.
