In tennis’ storied history, one awash with trailblazers and extraordinary champions, household names who still hold a place in people’s hearts, there hasn’t been a player quite like Carlos Alcaraz.
In defeating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s final in straight sets – a straightforward 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) victory against one of the sport’s greats – Alcaraz became the first Spaniard to successfully defend his Wimbledon crown, a feat not even Rafael Nadal had managed.
Alcaraz’s achievements in the sport are already significant. Aged 21, he has won four grand slams, winning all the major finals he has participated in, and twice he has beaten Djokovic in a Wimbledon final, a tournament the Serb has won seven times.
A young player on the fast-track to greatness, a man accumulating titles at a pace most of his greatest predecessors had not managed, Alcaraz is now the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, just the sixth man in the Open Era to win both tournaments in the same season.
All of Alcaraz’s brilliance was on display: his feather-like touch at the net, the brutal forehand, his high-speed serve and a supreme two-handed backhand. There were passing shots, too, which made Djokovic look flat-footed
In the on-court interview, Djokovic said his opponent played “amazing tennis” and was the deserved winner. Few would argue with the world No.2’s assessment.
The match started in Technicolor, a 14-minute opening game which ended with Alcaraz breaking Djokovic. Memories of the five-set epic between the pair at last year’s final came flooding back, assumptions were made that this would be another lengthy tussle.
But Alcaraz obliterated his opponent, in the first two sets especially.
He broke Djokovic again in the fifth game of the first set, this time the Serb surrendering with a double fault, and secured the opener in 41 minutes.
Djokovic’s net play was poor, while the Spaniard dominated from the baseline. The man from Murcia’s power, exquisite shotmaking and rapid serve made the 24-time grand slam winner look like a man who had undergone knee surgery just over a month ago. Perhaps the achievement of reaching a major final after suffering a meniscus tear during the French Open should not be lost in the aftermath of this contest.
Alcaraz broke early again in the second set and left Djokovic in the unusual position of looking vulnerable in a major final, of being forced to find solutions, of needing to change tact to thwart his imperious opponent.
In the seventh game, Djokovic faltered again at the net to present Alcaraz with another break point and then threw up a double fault to gift the Spaniard his double break. A comfortable hold of serve gave Alcaraz a two-set advantage after an hour and 17 minutes and left Djokovic, distinctly second-best, in need of a miraculous turnaround.
“He’s been able to turn lemons into lemonade better than anyone who has ever played the sport.,” said John McEnroe of Djokovic on BBC Sport before the final. But on this occasion, at least, the Serb was flat, the sparkle squeezed out of him by the future of men’s tennis, a player 16 years his junior.
On days such as this, the question is: how many more grand slams will the Spaniard win? Djokovic’s record-equaling 24 major titles does not feel out of reach, should form and fitness prevail.
Unlike his opponent, he does not yet have a Federer or Nadal to overcome en route to the major prizes. There is still Djokovic, of course, who arguably may have provided a sterner test had he not suffered that serious injury just over a month ago, leaving his WImbledon participation in doubt.
But the Serb could not muster a way to put sustained pressure on his rival and so remains one shy of Federer’s record eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles and must try again for that elusive record 25th slam.
Djokovic’s best came when the match was all but over, when Alcaraz squandered three championship points serving for the trophy, but the victory itself never felt in doubt. In the tie-break, he produced a showreel of shots, the coup de grace a deft drop shot for a fourth championship point which he secured in nerveless fashion.
