The day Carlos Alcaraz became a man at Wimbledon

The South African

5 hours ago

Carlos Alcaraz is gunning for a third Wimbledon crown on the bounce. Let's rewind to his first, when he beat Novak Djokovic in a thriller in 2023.
After complete dominance from Djokovic in the first set, Alcaraz found his range and showed the world what he was capable of.
Serbian legend Djokovic forced it to a fifth, though.
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On July 14th 2019, Novak Djokovic cheated death against Roger Federer by saving two match points against serve in the Wimbledon final. In 2023, young Carlos Alcaraz pulled off something similarly extraordinary against the greatest player in the history of the sport.
It's human nature to feel afraid when the stakes are high and there's so much to lose. Perhaps Carlos Alcaraz doesn't quite grasp the concept of fear yet, or maybe he's just one of those rare creatures who was born for the entertainment industry.
In the game where Alcaraz unflinchingly served it out to win the title , the Spaniard, who only turned 20 in May before the 2023 championships, hit a drop shot on the opening point and fluffed it into the net. Undeterred, he went to the well again on the very next point to draw Djokovic in and then casually stroke a delicious lob over the tall Serb's head.
To do what Alcaraz did in that moment is so fearless it's bordering on bonkers. You really do have to try something different to beat a man of Djokovic's class and pedigree. How did he do it then?
Alcaraz looked inhibited, flustered and rushed as Djokovic claimed the first set in typically imperious fashion. Bookmakers already felt vindicated by the overwhelming odds they handed the Serbian maestro to claim his fifth consecutive Wimbledon crown and eighth overall. Those backing him were rubbing their hands in glee. It felt inevitable. Everything about Djokovic when he gets that steely look in his eyes has felt so inevitable down the years. Ask all of his victims.
Carlos Alcaraz seems to be built different, though. It's been said he's got Nadal's physicality and defensive instincts, Federer's stylish, proactive aggression and Djokovic's mobility and iron-clad mental strength to make him look like some perfect prototype designed in a laboratory. The truth is, Alcaraz is uniquely himself. 16 years Djokovic's junior, perhaps the Spaniard has enjoyed the benefit of studying the three greatest players of all time while still a child in his formative years on the clay courts of Murcia at his local Real Sociedad club. When he was 13, Alcaraz spoke of Federer as his favourite player.
In the second set, he bounced back in what might go down as the greatest set of tennis contested at Wimbledon this millennium. Alcaraz settled it with a sweet backhand pass as he lapped up the crowd's wild excitement, who already knew they were in for something special because it was happening right before their eyes. Carlitos Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon final. Image: Reuters
Alcaraz dominated the third set, eventually winning a marathon fifth game lasting 26 minutes and containing 13 deuces and seven break points. He had established a 4-1 lead and closed it out with the panache we're now accustomed to seeing.
Onto set four, Djokovic responded. Of course he did. The finest returner of serve ever witnessed dealt with Alcaraz's improving deliveries to force a decider in the final. Of course he did.
At that point, most of the conventional wisdom pointed to him marching towards the finish line as his less experienced opponent would surely crumble under the pressure. Surely? Novak's unbelievable streak at Wimbledon had to come to an end. Image: @wimbledon / X
Alcaraz squandered a break point in the opening game of the decider and then saved one on his own serve with some miraculous defensive work. He broke to make it 2-1 after a long exchange which saw Djokovic fall and almost recover, Alcaraz pass him, and Novak destroy his racket. Djokovic's paintbrush was mangled beyond recognition as it left permanent marks on the wooden net post. The service break left scars on his psyche.
Alcaraz stuck to his guns, serving with relentless precision and battering Djokovic with massive forehands into both corners. There were two drop shots with contrasting outcomes at 5-4 when he served the match out, but the cameras will love his lunging backhand drop volley the most, because it took the collective breath away. This guy has every shot in the book, and he's also invented a few of his own. Djokovic's racket has seen better days. Image: @thescore / X
Novak had not lost on the hallowed Wimbledon centre court since 2013 and had amassed 91 Wimbledon match wins. Another absurd fact about him is that he was the youngest active Wimbledon men's champion until Alcaraz came along, with Nadal and Andy Murray the other two. How does one even get one's head around something so ridiculous? The arena of statistics is where Djokovic seems to be especially dominant over his peers, but how about a few of these facts, which further illustrate the enormity of this achievement? Until Alcaraz came along, Novak had won 33 consecutive matches at Wimbledon and was unbeaten in a completed match at SW19 since 2016.
At 20, Carlos Alcaraz was the third youngest player to win the Wimbledon men's singles title, behind only Boris Becker and Björn Borg. By halting Djokovic's four-year dominance at Wimbledon, he denied the Serb a chance of equalling Roger Federer's record of eight titles. Just a month prior, Djokovic wore Alcaraz into the ground, demolishing the Spaniard in the Roland Garros semi-finals, where the Spaniard was suffering from severe cramp.
1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 was the final score line, but it doesn't begin to describe what went down on an unforgettable afternoon at Wimbledon.
If you happened to watch this high-stakes, premium quality piece of theatre, then you're already aware of how lucky you are. Alcaraz will win a host of grand slams in his career, and you'd be silly to miss any of the entertainment that gets served up along the way.
Alcaraz was only two months out of his teens on 16 July when he claimed his maiden Wimbledon crown and second slam. Now 22 years old, the young man from Murcia is the proud holder of five major titles. He's never lost a Grand Slam final and has won back-to-back titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He dismantled Djokovic in the Wimbledon 2024 final, and few would bet against him claiming a three-peat at SW19 in July after his Roland Garros heroics against Jannik Sinner in Paris less than a month ago. The tennis world is still recovering from an epic which lasted five hours and 29 minutes, where Alcaraz came from two sets down, saving three consecutive match points in the fourth, to eventually prevail.
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