Tennis: Alcaraz Ends Djokovic’s Long Wimbledon Reign
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz ended Novak Djokovic’s long reign at Wimbledon with a thrilling 1-6 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory to win the All England Club title for the first time on Sunday.
Second seed Djokovic blew away his rival in the opening set. He raced into a 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye, to show intend in the encounter. However, the contest the world was waiting to see finally came alive in the second set. Alcaraz had managed to loosen his limbs and register his name on the scoreboard after 32 minutes.
The Spaniard broke for the first time for a 2-0 lead in the second. But Djokovic broke back in the next game. Both players were soon caught up exchanging brutal strokes in a breathtaking 29-shot rally that ended with Alcaraz firing a backhand long.
Djokovic tried to cope with a feast of Alcaraz dropshots that kept coming his way. At 3-3, the Serb a was left rolling on the turf after he stumbled over while chasing down one such effort. Although he managed to get the ball over the net, Djokovic could only watch as the ball came back into his half of the court after Alcaraz volleyed a winner.
With neither player daring to blink, the set rolled into a tiebreak where Djokovic was left quietly fuming on the baseline at 4-5 down after getting a time violation warning from umpire Fergus Murphy. However, Alcaraz produced a blazing down the line service return to win one of the highest quality sets seen at this year’s championships.
In the third set, Alcaraz went 3-1 up. The Spaniard stretched Djokovic to 13 deuces, before finally breaking on his seventh break point in a mental and physical battle that dragged on for 26 minutes. The Spaniard won the third set.
That punched a hole through Djokovic’s aura of invincibility and although the second seed came back to take the fourth set, his mind and body let him down in the fifth. The US Open champion Alcaraz eventually won the fifth set and celebrated a second Grand Slam triumph in style.
The Spanish sensation has done it 🇪🇸@carlosalcaraz triumphs over Novak Djokovic, 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an all-time classic#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/sPGLXr2k99
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2023
“It’s a dream come true for me. It’s great to win, making history in this beautiful tournament,” world number one Alcaraz said as he cradled the trophy during the presentation ceremony.
“I have to congratulate Novak. It’s amazing to play against him. You inspire me. (When) I was born, you were winning tournaments.”
Alcaraz becomes the youngest man since 18-year-old Boris Becker in 1986 to win the Challenge Cup.
The 36-year-old Serbian had been indestructible on Wimbledon’s Centre Court for a decade, but finally met his match as he ran out of ideas to stop Alcaraz from marching towards the title in the grasscourt major.
“I thought I’d have trouble with you only on clay and hard courts but maybe not on grass but now it’s a different story from this year obviously,” Djokovic told Alcaraz.
“Congrats. Amazing way to adapt to the surface. You played maybe once or twice before this year’s Wimbledon on grass and it’s amazing just what you did.”
A new name. A new reign. 🇪🇸@carlosalcaraz, your 2023 Gentlemen’s Singles champion#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/3KNlRTOPhx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2023
