Carlos Alcaraz found his way past the seven-time champion in a championship-match thriller Sunday to claim his maiden title at SW19. The 20-year-old’s win in a clash dubbed by his opponent as the ‘ultimate showdown’ made him just the fourth active male player to lift the trophy at the All England Club after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
“Beating Novak at his best, on this stage, making history, to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me,” said Alcaraz after his 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 triumph. “It’s something that I will never forget. It’s great for the new generation, I think, to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable of doing it as well.”
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Djokovic came in to the match on a 34-match Wimbledon winning streak and had not been defeated for over 10 years on Centre Court. Yet after a shaky start, Alcaraz’s combination of huge groundstrokes, deft touch and astounding athleticism ended one of the greatest individual stretches the grass-court major has ever seen.
“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest,” said Djokovic of Alcaraz. “Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] have their own obvious strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. He has amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”
With Sunday’s final doubling as a winner-takes-all battle for World No. 1, Alcaraz’s win ensured he remains atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for now. Djokovic knows he will be chasing no ordinary rival for the remainder of the year as the duel continues to claim the coveted year-end ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.
Photo/CarlosAlcarez/X
ATP Tour contributed to this column
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