Records will have to wait for Novak Djokovic as he was defeated, unequivocally, by young Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.
The Spaniard won the match in three sets of 6-2, 6-2 and 7-6 (7/4).
At 37, and fresh from knee surgery, Djokovic was hoping to clinch a 25th Grand Slam victory, which would make him the sole holder of the record (he is tied at 24 with Margaret Court). He was also eyeing an eighth title on the London grass, the same number as Roger Federer. It will be postponed.
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Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest ATP player to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros in the same year.
Photo : Getty Images / Fred Mullane / ISI Photos
The first game lasted 14 minutes, which suggested a long and hotly contested match. However, the points came quickly for Alcaraz, who was in full possession of his form, so much so that the first two sets were played in about an hour.
The Serb was more combative in the third set, at one point stringing together seven points in a row and pushing the outcome to a tiebreaker.
The duel between the world No. 2 and No. 3 ended when Djokovic sent the ball into the net, exhausted, after 2 hours and 27 minutes of play.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic hugged after the match.
Photo : Getty Images / Clive Brunskill
This is the second year in a row that the Spaniard has beaten his veteran rival on the London turf.
“It’s the most beautiful tournament, the most beautiful court and of course, the most beautiful trophy,” said Alcaraz, who received the cup from the Princess of Wales, Kate, who made her second public appearance of the year on Sunday.
Djokovic’s record at Wimbledon remains impressive, as he has won 98 matches and 7 titles. Only Roger Federer has done better (105 wins and 8 titles). Let’s add that the Serb has participated in every final on the London grass since 2018 and that this was the 37th Grand Slam tournament final of his career.
But on Sunday, the Serb could only bow to a much stronger player. This is obviously not the result I wanted, and in the first two sets my tennis was really not good, but congratulations to Carlos for having played with this quality, he succeeded in everything today, commented Djokovic.
At 21, Alcaraz enters a select club of players who have achieved the double of winning Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.
He thus adds his name to a list that makes you dream: Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, as well as Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.
The last person to achieve the double was Novak Djokovic, in 2021.
The Spaniard is the youngest player to achieve this feat in men’s football, just as he was the youngest player to become world No. 1.
This title is also the fourth in a major tournament for Alcaraz.
With information from Agence France-Presse
2024-07-15 00:15:54
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