At just 21 years of age, Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final to claim his fourth Grand Slam title. With an impressive variety of shots, Alcaraz displayed his incredible range of play, leaving Djokovic helpless in the face of this display of talent. Entering a new era of tennis?
Carlos Alcaraz continues to make tennis history. OnSunday July 14, the 21-year-old Spaniard dominated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final to claim his fourth Grand Slam title, scoring a resounding victory in three sets (6-2, 6-2, 7-6).
Unlike their clash last year, when the two players fought out a fierce battle, there was little suspense in this final. In just 2 hours 27 minutes, Alcaraz dominated Djokovic, inflicting on the Serb one of his most severe defeats in a Grand Slam final.
To win here is special. To defend here is elite.
Carlos Alcaraz is the 2024 Gentlemen’s Singles Champion 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/kJedyXf0vn
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2024
Djokovic, the man with 24 Grand Slam titles (the world record) and regarded as one of the best grass-court players in history, couldn’t contain Alcaraz’s power and diversity of play.
“I remember an interview when I was 12, my dream was to win here. I’m repeating myself, but this is the most beautiful tournament in my eyes,” said Alcaraz after the match. “In the end, I found the solution and managed to play a great tie-break.”
Total domination
The match began with a hard-fought 14-minute game on Djokovic’s serve, but Alcaraz quickly got the upper hand. With a double break, he won the first set 6-2 in 41 minutes.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Djokovic powerless against the Spaniard’s aggression and precision, again winning 6-2.
The third set was more balanced. Djokovic showed signs of revolt, saving three match points and breaking Alcaraz at 5-4. However, the young Spanish prodigy maintained his composure and wrapped up the match in the tie-break at 7-6.
“There were three match points, but I knew it wasn’t over. After that, I had to win and hold my serve. In theend, I found the solution and managed to play a great tie-break,” confided the Spaniard, underlining his determination and mastery.
Just listen to that Centre Court roar 🤯#Wimbledon | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/D096G113TG
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2024
With his returns, passes, drop shots, counter-amorties, volleys, serves and even backhand shots, Alcaraz showed the full extent of his incredible range of shots. Djokovic was exposed to an impressive variety of shots. The statistic of the match underlined Alcaraz’s dominance: Djokovic succeeded in getting only 51% of his shots to the net, compared with 73% for the Spaniard. The Serb’s inefficiency on the volley revealed his inability to compete in the backcourt exchanges against Juan Carlos Ferrero‘s pupil.
Change of era?
This defeat marks a key moment in Djokovic’s career. Despite a difficult season and a meniscus operation on his right knee just over a month ago, the Serb managed to reach his 10th Wimbledon final, his 37th Grand Slam final. Nevertheless, this final was his first of the year, and his relatively easy run at Wimbledon didn’t prepare Djokovic to take on an in-form Alcaraz.
“These last few weeks have obviously been very difficult for you, you’ve done an incredible job after Roland Garros. I didn’t know if you’d be able to play this tournament,” said Alcaraz at the trophy ceremony, referring to the Serb’s emergence from injury. “To make it to the final and go this far is incredible. I was talking about it with my own team: it’s hard to realize that in just two weeks, playing training sets on this tricky surface, you’ve managed to do it. I have immense respect for you and your team.”
Despite this achievement, has “Djoko” passed on the baton? The question arises as the younger generation, represented by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, seem to be gaining the upper hand, both technically and psychologically.
The previous Alcaraz-Djokovic duel was a Homeric one in 2023 and, despite the former’s final victory, it seemed a little premature at the time to talk of a change of era. Djokovic showed this by winning the US Open and the Masters to end the season. But on Sunday, the Serb was totally out of his depth, as he has rarely been since reaching the pinnacle of the game.
A legendary achievement
With this fourth Grand Slam title (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023, Roland Garros 2024, Wimbledon 2024), Carlos Alcaraz joins the club of young prodigies to have won four Majors before the age of 21, alongside Björn Borg, Mats Wilander and Boris Becker. He also becomes the youngest player to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, previously held by Borg and Nadal.
By winning Wimbledon for the second time in succession, Alcaraz proves that he is far more than a prodigy. He becomes the fourth player of the 21st century to achieve the Roland Garros – Wimbledon double in the same year, following in the footsteps of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However, he reiterated that, although winning Wimbledon was “his dream”, he felt he was “not yet at the level” of these players.
Alcaraz also had a word for the Spanish soccer team, who faced England in the Euro final on the same day: “I’ve done my part of the job, so now it’s up to you to do yours!” he said, adding a note of national camaraderie to his personal triumph. La Roja went on to defeat England 2-1.
With a performance like that, the future of tennis looks bright with Alcaraz at the top of his game. It remains to be seen how far this young champion can take his talent, but one thing is certain: Carlos Alcaraz is much more than a prodigy, he is already a legend in the making.
Lire aussi>Roland Garros 2024: Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek win the title
Photo à la Une : © Getty Images
