Alcaraz Ends Djokovic Reign At Wimbledon, Wins Second Major— Men’s Final 2023
(Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
WIMBLEDON, England — Carlos Alcaraz won the Wimbledon men's singles title for the first time by ending Novak Djokovic's five-year dominance at the event with a stunning five-set victory.
Alcaraz started off the match a bit shaky and nervous, but was able to mount a comeback to win 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 against the four-time defending champion.
Djokovic was going for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and a record-extending 24th major win.
"It is a dream come true for me," Alcaraz said after the match. "Even if I lost, I would have been proud of myself. To be able to play in these stages of these occasions, as a boy of 20 years old, is really fast.”
With his win, Alcaraz, 20, became the third youngest man to win the Wimbledon title in the Open era following Boris Becker in 1985 (17) and Bjorn Borg in 1976 (20).
(Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
"You never like to lose matches like this, but I guess when all the emotions are settled, I have to still be very grateful," said Djokovic, who was visibly emotional during his on-court speech after the game.
"I won many tough matches here. Maybe I have won a couple of finals I should have lost. So maybe this is even-steven,” quipped Djokovic, alluding to his (in)famous win over Roger Federer in the 2019 edition of the tournament.
Going into the Wimbledon final, the narrative centered on the idea of a generational battle, and whether or not Alcaraz could prove that there was finally somebody that could challenge tennis’ so-called “Big 3” (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic) when it came to winning Grand Slams.
Although other players have been winning here and there, the still-active Nadal and Djokovic have continued to reign supreme against the younger generation, often referred to as “Next Gen” players. The main problem however has been that ever since that term has been coined by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), several generations of players have passed, yet two guys born in the mid-1980s continue to dominate the sport’s most prized tournaments, most notably with the absence of legitimate challengers or any real adversity.
Even Alcaraz’s breakthrough US Open victory last season had come in a year where Federer had finally retired, Djokovic was not allowed entry to the tournament because of his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and Nadal got injured and was out early in the tournament.
This year, Alcaraz had already been the victim of the Serbian, having suffered cramps during their highly anticipated French Open semi-final last month, where a competitive match suddenly soured and was over in quickfire fashion.
Speaking after his dominant semi-final win over fellow Grand Slam winner Daniil Medvedev, Alcaraz had said he was going to give his all and try to enjoy the experience of playing in a Wimbledon final when he was asked what his mindset was heading into a Djokovic rematch following the Roland Garros disappointment.
Although some jitters were evident in a first set that saw Djokovic breeze past 1-6, Alcaraz settled into the stakes and the environment of the game, turning the match into a classic that was full of long exchanging rallies. A nearly 27-minute game in the middle of the third set was particularly the highlight of the match.
By winning the match in the third longest Wimbledon final of all-time, Carlos Alcaraz became the first player outside of tennis’ Big Four of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray to win Wimbledon since 2002. It was also his second Grand Slam victory.
(Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
As for Djokovic, the loss also meant his 34 successive match wins going back to 2017, and 45 straight victories on Centre Court stretching back to 2013, would also come to an end.
At a stage where he practically owns every statistical record available, Djokovic doesn’t seem to be affected by any signs of a lack of motivation. Despite the loss, there is no question that he and Alcaraz are the two best players in the world (barring a strong Nadal return from his injury). He will fancy his chances at any given major until his body finally shows signs of breaking down.
"I hope this will be the beginning of a rivalry for some time, for my sake," said Djokovic on the potential of a new rivalry with Alcaraz. Up until now, Djokovic had mostly downplayed the rivalry narrative between him and Alcaraz, citing the presence of Nadal as well as the lack of matches he and Alcaraz had played together. The Wimbledon final was just their third matchup.
"He's going to be on the tour for quite some time. I don't know how long I'll be around.
"I hope we get to play at the US Open. I think it's good for the sport, one and two in the world facing each other in a five-hour, five-set thriller.
"It couldn't be better for our sport," added Djokovic, sounding ever most motivated for the next big hurdle in his career.
