Wimbledon | Carlos Alcaraz outclasses Novak Djokovic in final

Those who still doubted it will now believe it: the student has become the master. Carlos Alcaraz won in three sets of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6, against a completely outclassed Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.

After two sets of complete domination, Alcaraz had a bit of a scare in the third set, letting three championship points slip away. The Spaniard wanted at all costs to avoid the disaster scenario he had experienced last August. He was then competing in the final of the Cincinnati tournament, once again against Djokovic. After being caught up and letting a match point slip away in a tiebreaker, he lost the match.

It seems that Alcaraz has learned from his mistakes. Or, at least, that Djokovic has been unable to repeat his exploits. Djokovic was unusually blundering and Alcaraz, incisive in tiebreakers, which allowed him to escape with the trophy for the second year in a row.

“Djokovic is an incredible fighter,” praised Carlos Alcaraz after the match.

Walking the fine line between confidence and arrogance, Alcaraz celebrated his triumph with a smile on his face with his close guard in the crowd. The champion even took the time to shake hands with his opponent’s team before going to collect his trophy.

Obvious difficulties

The first two rounds were a sad spectacle. If the players’ faces had been blurred and their identities hidden, one would have thought they were watching a first-round match between a top-of-the-class player and a player straight out of qualifying.

Djokovic was no champion. He was a shadow of the 24-time Grand Slam champion, unable to gain the upper hand on serve. This problem plagued him throughout the match: he won only 66% of his first serves and 46% of his second serves. The vast majority of his attempts at the net ended in unforced errors.

Alcaraz easily pushed his opponent aside. His strikes, sometimes powerful, other times sustained, pushed Djokovic aside, who, after a long fortnight, no longer seemed to be on his feet.

Who knows, maybe the laws of nature just caught up with the Serb, who went from hospital bed to tennis court in less than a month. Let’s remember that Djokovic had surgery for a torn right meniscus in June. At the start of the match, we could tell he was bothered. His footwork was less proactive than usual. He let reachable balls fall to the net.

Rather than using the injury excuse to explain his defeat, Djokovic opted for positivity. “I went through a lot of trials,” he acknowledged. “I have to be proud, even if it’s difficult to be proud ten minutes after the match.”

His date with history will have to wait. Had he won the tournament, he would have overtaken Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles, with 25. He would also have joined Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon titles, with eight.

Djoko reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the 37th time^e times, at 37. Although he still has plenty of good tennis to offer, Djokovic already has an eye on the future. After the game, the father joked about offering his services as a coach to his son Stefan.

“I don’t know if I have the nerve to continue a career as a coach for my son. There are many beautiful things in life, my son, tennis is not the only one, but if you really want to pursue a career, I will be there for you,” he told him, all smiles despite the defeat.

Changing of the Guard

Who knows if Stefan Djokovic will have an illustrious career? But we can already say that if he is spared from injuries, Carlos Alcaraz risks becoming one of the greats of his sport.

With Sunday’s victory, Alcaraz becomes only the fourth player aged 21 and under to win four Grand Slam titles. He has now triumphed on every surface. After victories at Roland Garros and the US Open, he only needs to win the Australian Open.

The Spaniard will have the chance to shine in just over two weeks, when he will represent his country at the Paris Olympics. Novak Djokovic is also due to take part in the competition.