Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Monday, 17 July 2023 01:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
In a generational battle matching the king of men’s tennis and the young Spanish star intent on taking his throne, Carlos Alcaraz knocked off Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set match 1-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 yesterday to win his first Wimbledon championship and his second major overall.
Alcaraz’s victory at the All England Club denied Djokovic the 24th Grand Slam title of his career – and his third in 2023.
Alcaraz, 20, was the youngest Wimbledon finalist since 2006. The last time the 36-yesr-old Djokovic lost at Wimbledon, Alcaraz was only 10 years old.
After Djokovic breezed through a 6-1 first set, the second set defined the type of thrilling back-and-forth action expected of this emerging rivalry. Djokovic initially went down 2-0 before battling back, and the set stayed on serve until the tiebreaker. Alcaraz had to fight off one set point from Djokovic before finally prevailing 9-7 in the tiebreaker to even the match at one set apiece. It also ended Djokovic’s stunning Grand Slam streak of 15 straight tiebreakers won.
Alcaraz continued the momentum by breaking Djokovic in the opening game of the third set. He broke him again to go up 4-1 in what was instantly hailed one of the most thrilling games in Wimbledon history. The numbers don’t lie: 33 points, 13 deuces, nearly 27 minutes. Alcaraz fought off eight game points from Djokovic – and had seven break points himself – before winning. He then made quick work of the rest of the set to win 6-1 and take a two sets-to-one lead in the match.
Djokovic didn’t go quietly. After a long break between the third and fourth sets, he came back refocused and broke Alcaraz in the fifth game. Djokovic cruised from there to send the match to a decisive fifth set.
Alcaraz looked like he might struggle to recover. A save on a break point in the second game of the fifth set appeared to re-energise him. He followed by breaking Djokovic the following game. That was all the space Alcaraz needed. Djokovic appeared to have trouble with his right arm and was never able to break Alcaraz back.
Carlos Alcaraz is the first man to beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 6 years. He is also the first man to beat Djokovic on Centre Court since Andy Murray did it 10 years ago.
