Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic with a surprising 6-2,6-2,7-6 (7-4) victory.
Wimbledon, United Kingdom – If there were any doubts about Carlos Alcaraz's pedigree as a budding tennis great, the 21-year-old dispelled them with a crushing straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men's singles final.
The Spaniard raced to his second Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory over the 24-time Grand Slam winner from Serbia on a sunny afternoon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in south London on Sunday.
Alcaraz was in control for most of the match that lasted just under two and a half hours, but had to come from behind to finish the job in the third-set tie-break after having squandered three championship points earlier.
That moment, midway through the third set, was the only time Djokovic held an advantage in the final, which was played at the blistering pace of the 21-year-old Alcaraz.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic admitted he was struggling to survive the blistering challenge of a man 16 years his junior.
“I've never seen Carlos serve so well. He was playing really well and I was half a step behind him the whole match,” Djokovic said after the match.
Djokovic opened the final on serve but Alcaraz won the opening game after both players oscillated against each other for 15 minutes. The defending champion knew how crucial that opening break was and Djokovic admitted it “set the tone” for the rest of the match.
Alcaraz raced around Centre Court, winning seemingly impossible points in a stunning display of agility and skill for which the 37-year-old Djokovic had no answer.
The second set was played out in a textbook way compared to the first and reigning French Open champion Alcaraz raced into a 2-0 lead in the final in one hour and 16 minutes.
The match was in stark contrast to last year's epic five-set final, which Djokovic said he had just as much chance of winning had it not been for some crucial moments that went against him.
The difference between the 2023 and 2024 finals was Alcaraz's confidence and self-belief, having come into Wimbledon on the back of winning the French Open, as well as Djokovic's struggles with his fitness following knee surgery.
The Serb admitted that even reaching the final seemed a distant dream four weeks ago when he pulled out of the French Open due to injury.
Despite looking exhausted in the first two sets against a fitter and stronger Alcaraz, Djokovic showed flashes of his greatness in the third set and threatened to take the final from the rising star.
At 5-4 and serving for the championship, Alcaraz struggled on serve and Djokovic fought back to level the playing field. The experienced Serb smiled and looked up for the first time in the match with the crowd firmly behind him, in stark contrast to his previous matches where he accused them of booing him.
However, Alcaraz had plenty of support of his own and the young and lively player fought back to win the third set and his second title at the historic tennis venue.
'I want to keep going forward'
At the end of the match, Alcaraz admitted that he was dreaming.
“Winning this trophy is a dream for me. When I was 11, I was interviewed and I said that my dream was to win Wimbledon. I want to keep it that way.”
Asked about his feelings on becoming only the second man in tennis' open era to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, Alcaraz called it “a great honour”.
The four-time Grand Slam winner said he was “really happy to be at the same table as Novak and other great champions.”
“I don’t consider myself a champion yet. Not like them. I’m trying to move forward and build my path, my journey.”
With the chance to win Olympic gold alongside fellow countryman and hero Rafael Nadal, the in-form Spaniard may not be too far behind his idols.
As for Djokovic, the journey is not over yet.
“I want to go to the Olympics and win a medal for my country,” she said when asked about her plans for the future.
The record Grand Slam winner has no plans to hang up his boots afterwards either, with that 25th title his main goal.
The upcoming US Open will give him another chance and, who knows, the resilient Serbian might even return to SW19 (Wimbledon's home in London) one last time in 2025.
