At 21, Carlos Alcaraz becomes the ninth man in the Open era to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles, conquering Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) to complete a sensational performance.
Seats at Centre Court were literally the hottest ticket in town - the worst seats costing over 10,000 dollars. Fans were expecting a real treat, but it failed to live up to those high expectations.
The pair met again exactly 12 months after Alcaraz’s epic five-set win helped realise a childhood dream to lift the trophy at the All England Club.
14 minutes, seven deuces, and five break points during Djokovic’s first service game opened the floodgates for the Spaniard who raced out to a 5-1 lead, the polar opposite to last year’s decider when he trailed 1-5.
Djokovic was far from his best, making unusual errors at the net and being pushed around the baseline as Alcaraz had the match on a string with his pace and variety, troubling the 37-year-old who found himself two sets down in a flash.
On serve in the sixth game of the third set, the 24-time Grand Slam winner produced his best tennis of the day, successfully moving Alcaraz around the court to have two break-point chances as the Djokovic everyone has come to know and admire burst into life.
The crowd were desperate for the contest to stretch as long as possible to the point where loud cheers were directed in Djokovic’s direction, in the unfamiliar position of underdog status.
Three championship points serving at 40-0 disappeared, as Djokovic inexplicably won five consecutive points to break and force a tiebreak shortly afterwards. Where have we seen that script before, Roger Federer fans?
Elite mentality from Alcaraz was on full display. He put aside the heartache of not wrapping up the title to execute when it mattered most, turning to his box in rapturous celebrations as he claimed his fourth Grand Slam crown.
“I’m just building my path, my journey, my career,” Alcaraz told ESPN.
“I consider champions the big guys who’ve won 15, 14, 20 grand slams. Those guys who are eating at the big table. I want to be there one day. 4 Grand Slams, 2 Wimbledon’s. It’s a great achievement. I’m not gonna lie. I have to realise the things that I’m doing. But I want to keep going and keep building a good journey. Hopefully one day I can sit close to these champions.”
Not accustomed to receiving the runners-up trophy at a Wimbledon final, Djokovic praised his opponent.
“I was inferior on the court, that’s it,” Djokovic said. “He was a better player. He played every single shot better than I did.”
“He was reading the serve. He was playing with a lot of variety. I’ve never seen him serve that way, to be honest.”
Aussie Teen Falls At The Final Hurdle
Déjà vu eventuated in the Junior Girls’ final when Slovakian top seed Renata Jamrichova defeated 16-year-old Australian Emerson Jones 6-3, 6-4.
The pair clashed in the final of the Australian Open Juniors earlier this year, as Jones suffered the same result in a straight sets defeat.
Nonetheless, a bright future awaits Jones who is developing and maturing into one of the sport’s most promising prospects.
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