After years of false beginnings, men’s tennis now has a true generational conflict.
Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old Spanish star who has blitzed the sport in his brief career, pulled off the nearly impossible, beating Novak Djokovic in a Wimbledon final on the grass that the man widely regarded as the greatest ever to play the sport has long treated as his back lawn, in a startling comeback that rocked the All England Club’s venerable Centre Court.
Aside from pursuing the Grand Slam, Djokovic wanted to put an end to the aspirations of another celebrated upstart who dared to challenge his grip on the game, which has resulted in 23 Grand Slam event victories. Alcaraz is the face of the new generation of players who are anticipated to usher the sport beyond the period of the Big Three, which includes Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and which Djokovic has governed for longer than many thought.
Last year, Alcaraz won the US Open in dramatic, acrobatic manner, putting men’s tennis on notice that an uncommon talent was about to change things up. This year, he withdrew from the Australian Open due to an injury and was beaten in the French Open semifinals by Djokovic. But the excitement about him and his prospects never went away.
“It’s great for the new generation to see me beating him and making them believe they can do it,” Alcaraz remarked.
After falling behind in the first set and battling to escape disgrace, Alcaraz found his unique blend of speed, power, and touch and figured out the nuances of grass-court tennis just in time.
He battled his way back into the match in an epic, 85-minute second set, when he was a point away from an insurmountable two-set deficit.
He took control of the match halfway through the third set, but teetered in the fourth as Djokovic, the four-time reigning champion and seven-time victor at Wimbledon, regained the footwork that has long served as the cornerstone of his success.
When facing loss, Djokovic is as dangerous as any player has ever been, yet Alcaraz emerged once again to win, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, not only defeating Djokovic’s limitless abilities and talents but also destroying his soul.
When Alcaraz hammered a backhand down the line to break Djokovic’s serve early in the fifth set, the Serb with the steely head banged his racket against the net post one more time. He had blown his opportunity to gain control a few points earlier, swiping at a floating forehand in the centre of the court and sending it into the net. Just a few minutes later, something that had occurred to him so seldom in recent years — a defeat to a relative rookie on a large platform, particularly this huge one — was occurring.
Djokovic, the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner, finally surpassed his longtime rivals Nadal and Federer last month. However, this defeat deprived him the opportunity to become the first player since 1969 to complete the Grand Slam in men’s singles, winning all four major championships in a single year. He came within one match of accomplishing the feat two years ago. He was eight matches away this time, despite being 36 years old, an age when most winners have retired to the broadcast booth.
It felt so close, but in the end, Alcaraz proved why everyone has been talking about him for so long. He dispatched Djokovic with his sexiest weapons: a delicate drop shot, an exquisite topspin lob, a ferocious serve, and one last ripping forehand that Djokovic lunged for but couldn’t lift over the net.
Alcaraz collapsed and sprawled on the grass, his hands covering his face in bewilderment. He greeted Djokovic at the net, shook hands with the umpire, then punted a stray ball into the audience before proceeding into the seats to hug his parents and coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“Beating Novak at his best, at this stage, making history, being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, that’s amazing for me,” Alcaraz said.
He got to joke with King Felipe VI of Spain after accepting the champion’s trophy from Catherine, Princess of Wales, on a day that brought out A-list celebrities like the actors Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Emma Watson, and Hugh Jackman, as well as the singer Ariana Grande.
“Now that I’ve won, I’m hoping you’ll come to more of my matches,” Alcaraz told the king.
Nadal, the famous Spanish player who dethroned another Wimbledon hero, Federer, in 2008, was one of Alcaraz’s many teachers, and he posted on social media that Alcaraz had given “immense joy” to Spanish tennis.
“A very strong hug, and enjoy the moment Champion!!!” tweeted Nadal, who was unable to compete because to hip and abdominal surgery.
Djokovic stated that he had lost to a superior player on this day, which was an uncommon occurrence for him.
“A tough one to swallow,” Djokovic remarked of his defeat. He then fought back tears as he glanced at his kid, who was sitting courtside and smiled at him. “Thank you for supporting me,” he said to his family. “I will give you a big hug, and we can all love each other.”
On Saturday, Mats Wilander, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and now one of the sport’s most renowned voices, said Djokovic had a 90 percent probability of defeating Alcaraz and winning the four Grand Slam titles in 2023.
“He’s got way too many weapons,” Wilander observed. “He knows everything there is to know about football.” He’s got it all figured out. The opponents are unprepared for him.”
Wilander seemed prophetic in the first minutes of Sunday’s final. The most significant men’s tennis match on the calendar seemed to be a duel between two players who had arrived on Centre Court under quite different circumstances.
Djokovic had his normal July Sunday. That was the first significant occasion in which Alcaraz, the top seed and world No. 1, failed to live up to expectations.
Sunday was unique. But not right away.
Djokovic anchored Alcaraz in the back corner of the court from the start with low slicing strokes that made it tough for Alcaraz to attack. He smashed service returns, aiming for the brown patches of ground at Alcaraz’s feet and knocking him backward.
Djokovic had a 2-0 lead in the second set before the action had even started.
Alcaraz’s last opportunity to save his virginity Wimbledon’s final was decided by a tiebreaker at the conclusion of an epic second set that lasted three twice as long as the first. Tiebreakers are Djokovic’s forte. He had won 14 consecutive Grand Slam matches before to the final.
The occasion brought out the best in both players — massive serves to the corners, wicked drop drops, and precise, point-saving victories with the opponent closing in at the net — and the full spectators, with alternating cries of “Novak, Novak” and “Carlos, Carlos” reverberating through the Centre Court overhangs.
Then, just as Djokovic seemed to be on his way to a dominant two-set lead, he blasted two backhands into the net, giving Alcaraz a chance to tie. Alcaraz then returned Djokovic’s serve with a backhand down the line to tie the match at one set apiece.
Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, famously quipped that everyone has a plan until they are smacked in the face.
Alcaraz had hit Djokovic in the jaw, and Djokovic felt it. He fought hard to reclaim control of the match, none more so than in a game that stretched to 13 deuces and finished with a Djokovic forehand into the net.
Djokovic took a long toilet break before the fourth set, as he regularly does when he’s down. He washes his face with water and chats to himself in the mirror. He usually emerges a different player, and Sunday was no exception, as he took the initiative once again, breaking Alcaraz’s serve halfway through, regaining his composure, and claiming the set when Alcaraz double-faulted.
They were almost four hours later back where they began. Almost five hours of drama would be reduced to a few seconds.
“He astounded me. “He surprised everyone,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz, who in his opinion combined components of his, Nadal’s, and Federer’s styles to develop a virtuosity on grass — his grass! — considerably sooner than he imagined. “I’ve never played a player like him.”
More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/