WIMBLEDON, England—Carlos Alcaraz stated his desire to face Novak Djokovic again. He claimed that it would make winning the Wimbledon title much more meaningful. Alcaraz, on the other hand, had the opportunity to meet Djokovic. And he thrashed him.
Alcaraz overcame a shaky start and pushed down the line to stop Djokovic's 34-match winning run at Wimbledon, defeating him 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an exciting back-and-forth final on Sunday, capturing his maiden Wimbledon crown and second Grand Slam trophy overall.
No. 1 seed Alcaraz denied No. 2 Djokovic from winning a record-tying eighth title and fifth in a row at the grass-court competition. Djokovic was also denied his 24th major title.
Instead of Djokovic, a 36-year-old Serbian, becoming the Open era's oldest male champion, Alcaraz, a 20-year-old Spaniard, became the third-youngest. The age difference between the two was the most pronounced in a men's Slam final since 1974.
So Alcaraz had youth on his side, as he did when they met at the French Open last month. That one was fantastic for the first two sets before Alcaraz tightened up and faded. He had the stamina and strokes this time to beat Djokovic.
Alcaraz is quicker and more powerful—serves top 130 mph, forehands top 100 mph—but Djokovic possesses an abundance of abilities and muscle memory. He's been there and done that in ways Alcaraz can only dream about for the time being.
But, if Alcaraz's triumph on a windy and overcast day at Centre Court, where Djokovic last lost in the 2013 final, is any indicator, he's on his way to accomplishing quite a bit himself.
Nonetheless, this is all new to him: Djokovic's 35th Grand Slam final was Alcaraz's second.
Nonetheless, Alcaraz claimed the third set with a 32-point, 25-minute mini-masterpiece. And it was Alcaraz who did not back down when Djokovic forced a fifth set.
Alcaraz took the lead for good, breaking to go up 2-1 in the fifth with a backhand passing winner. Djokovic, who collapsed during the point but swiftly recovered, responded by slamming his racket into the net post and letting go on impact. Chair umpire Fergus Murphy issued him a code infraction after he damaged his equipment.
They'd play for another 24 minutes, pushing the total to more than 4 1/2 hours, but Alcaraz never gave up. After the last point, it was Alcaraz, not Djokovic, who buried his face and rolled in the grass before receiving the gold trophy.
Perhaps it should have been expected that Alcaraz's nerves would show up early. His shots were not going where he intended them to. It's not even close. Adrenaline—likely the same cause of Djokovic's faster-than-usual serves at the start—may have been coursing a bit too much, a little too quickly for Alcaraz to control his strokes.
Sure, Alcaraz swiftly got a breakpoint, but it was erased by a long backhand return of a 127 mph serve. Djokovic won the game with another too-far backhand and a netted return. In the following game, Alcaraz missed three forehands, handing Djokovic a break and a 2-0 lead.
The showman in Alcaraz appeared in the next game when he rushed back to grab a defensive lob by Djokovic and reacted with a between-the-legs lob of his own. Djokovic simply let it go. It was requested. The audience erupted. Except Djokovic instantly shook his head and waved his hand, indicating it was out and challenging the call: He had to chuckle at the collective "Awwww!" from the stands when the television replay on the scoreboard revealed that it had indeed landed long.
Djokovic was soon up 5-0. After 31 minutes, Alcaraz eventually removed the zero to the right of his name, delivering a down-the-line forehand passing winner to earn a game and a standing ovation from some fans.
To quiet them, Djokovic held at love to end the set. Until then, a crucial statistic: Alcaraz had nine unforced mistakes to Djokovic's two.
Alcaraz has a sledgehammer forehand that he delivers with such force that a spectator would assume every ounce of power, even every fiber of his existence, is involved in each swing. The racket's slam and his "Uhhh-ehhh!"The exhale of exertion reverberated around the arena, along with the gasps of impressed onlookers."
That's not to imply Alcaraz's abilities end with his powerful forehand. He is much more than that, exhibiting the most diverse all-court game conceivable, which is why fame is expected of him. He does everything well, including well-hidden drop shots that got him back into the game in the second and third sets on Sunday.
Djokovic, of course, has already achieved greatness, spending more weeks at No. 1 than any man or woman in the computerized rankings' half-century history and amassing 23 Grand Slam titles—one more than Rafael Nadal and three more than Roger Federer, the only man with eight Wimbledon titles.
Djokovic would scramble, stretch, and slide nearly into the splits so often on Sunday to get Alcaraz's seeming point-ending smashes back over the net in ways no one else could.
