Carlos Alcaraz won his second consecutive Wimbledon title with a lopsided win over Novak Djokovic in the final at the All England Club on Sunday.
Alcaraz now holds a perfect record in four Grand Slams and a major final. The 21-year-old Spaniard has won back-to-back Wimbledon titles, won the 2022 US Open and last month secured his first French Open title.
Djokovic, who had surgery on a torn meniscus 39 days ago and had been wearing a knee brace for two weeks, fought back to salvage three championship points in the third set, but Alcaraz barely held on to win the tiebreaker to secure a stunning 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) victory.
“To be honest, it's my dream to win this trophy,” Alcaraz said. “I was interviewed when I was 11 or 12 and I said my dream was to win Wimbledon. I'm living my dream.
“For me, this is the most beautiful tournament, the most beautiful court, the most beautiful trophy.
“When I was 40-0, it seemed so far away to me. Djokovic is an unbelievable fighter and I knew he would take his chances. It was difficult, but going into the tie-break I tried to stay calm and play my best tennis. I'm glad we were able to find a solution at the end.”
Alcaraz, a football fan, now hopes the Spanish nation will be able to celebrate twice when they face England in the Euro 2024 final.
“I've already done my work, so let's watch the football now,” he smiled.
Alcaraz became the second player after Roger Federer to win his first four Grand Slam finals in the Open Era, doing so before his 22nd birthday, surpassing Swiss greats Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
With Yannick Sinner winning the Australian Open and Alcaraz making it back-to-back French Open titles, it's clear that men's tennis is finally entering a new era.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is nowhere near the all-time record of 25 Grand Slam singles titles and is one shy of Federer's eight Wimbledon titles.
The secret to Alcaraz's successful defense of her Wimbledon title is…
The match got off to a dramatic start with a 13-minute first game, during which Djokovic saved four break points before sending Alcaraz's forehand wide on his fifth opportunity.
The crowd, including the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte who were watching from the Royal Box, expected this to be the start of another close contest, but they were soon to dispel such thoughts.
Alcaraz simply played at a different pace than his opponent, his forehand was too hot for the Serb to handle, and he repeatedly showed his lack of confidence in his ability to hold his own against his younger opponent at the back of the court by running to the net.
But he was only winning a third of the points there, and lost his serve again on a double fault after Alcaraz threw a 136 mph serve, his fastest of the tournament.
And the Spaniard couldn't have been distracted by the chants of “Come on, England” as he served the opening set.
Alcaraz's dominance continued in the second set. The 21-year-old broke Djokovic in the first set and again at 4-2, the second time in the match that the reigning champion double-faulted on break point.
He needed something to liven things up, and in the third game of the third set, he screamed as he returned to his chair after saving four break points.
Djokovic was the villain of the Wimbledon crowd again this tournament, but here they were chanting his name in hopes of a classic match success.
He had a chance to go ahead at 3-2 but wasted it on Alcaraz's serve, and it looked all but over when the second seed pulled off a stunning comeback to win at 4-4.
At that point, Alcaraz had three match points to go 40-0 ahead, but he froze dramatically at the finish line, double-faulting and making a series of errors, one of which came after a woman in the crowd screamed inappropriately, allowing Djokovic to counter.
But Alcaraz kept his composure and pulled through in the tiebreak to successfully defend his Grand Slam title for the first time.
“Of course it wasn't the result I wanted, especially the first few sets, I wasn't at my level, but I have to commend Carlos for playing some amazing tennis,” Djokovic said.
“I tried to push him, I saved three match points, I tried to extend the match, but it didn't happen. He deserved to win.
“I should be very proud. Right now I'm a little disappointed, but when I look back at the last two weeks, the last four or five weeks, and what I've been through, I'm very satisfied.”
What matches are on Sky Sports Tennis?
For a more accessible video player, please use the Chrome browser.
Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA Tour.
Watch all the famous tennis stars play as they prepare for the US Open, the last Grand Slam of 2024. Live on Sky Sports They compete throughout the hardcourt season.
- Hamburg Open (ATP 500) July 15-21
- Newport Hall of Fame Open (ATP 250) July 15-21
- Swiss Open (ATP 250) July 15-21
- Bastard Open (ATP 250) July 15-21
- Palermo Ladies Open (WTA 250) July 15-21
- Hungarian Grand Prix (WTA 250) July 15-21
- Prague Open (WTA 250) July 21-26
- Iasi Open (WTA 250) July 21-26
- Umag Open (ATP 250) July 21-26
Watch the WTA and ATP Tours on Sky Sports Tennis throughout 2024. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. Cancel anytime, no contract required.
