Last year, Carlos Alcaraz dethroned Novak Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title.
In a rematch of last year’s epic five-setter, Alcaraz fully ascended the throne on Sunday. He defeated Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) to win his second straight Wimbledon title. This is just the fifth time in Djokovic’s career that he’s been beaten in straight sets in a final.
At the start, and throughout the first 2 1/2 sets, Djokovic was in trouble. He came out flat and played incredibly tight. He just didn’t look like himself. And Alcaraz, who is typically a slow starter, came roaring out of the gate, putting Djokovic in a 2-0 hole before most fans had settled in. No one was expecting the legend to begin so quietly or look overmatched so quickly.
Every point was another opportunity to see if Djokovic would wake up and realize, “hey, I’m in the Wimbledon final,” and every time, fans were disappointed. If he was improving, it was not possible to see with the naked eye. And Alcaraz had no mercy. He was there to win, and with Djokovic mostly scoring points off Alcaraz’s errors, he had reason to feel confident.
Djokovic dropped the first set 6-2, and the second set went in much the same manner. Without a serious turnaround, he was toast.
The third set is when Djokovic finally showed signs of life. He actually won the first game, and forced Alcaraz to start keeping up with him. But the awakening came just a little to late, because Alcaraz was more than able to keep up with Djokovic, who was attempting to become the oldest man to ever win Wimbledon at age 37.
Djokovic was able to force a tiebreak and give himself the opportunity to extend the match, but he couldn’t bring it home. He looked frustrated that his shots weren’t doing what they usually do, but he mostly looked tired. Even at the start of the tiebreak, it felt like we were just biding time until Alcaraz won.
Djokovic’s main opponent over the past few years has been Father Time. He’s been playing an invisible match against his own tennis mortality, and until recently, he’s been winning hands down. His torn meniscus at the French Open was a hitch, but that hadn’t appeared to affect him during the tournament (or during the final on Sunday).
But maybe for the first time in his lengthy career, Djokovic was faced on Sunday with an opponent he simply couldn’t overcome. Alcaraz was too quick with his feet, too strong with his shots, and too fast on the court. Even if Djokovic had forced a fourth set, it didn’t appear he had the stamina to bend the match to his will. But Alcaraz, 16 years Djokovic’s junior, had the stamina and the energy to play another two sets with a tiebreaker on each one.
This is the fourth Grand Slam title of Alcaraz’s young career, and half have been won on grass — despite Wimbledon 2024 being just the sixth grass court tournament he’s ever played.
In a few years, it’s possible we look back on this match as the moment when one era ended and another began; when Alcaraz beat one of the greatest tennis players in history for the second straight year and started his reign. But for now, we’re left with questions. What was behind Djokovic’s performance on Sunday? Was he hurt? Will this impact his appearance at the Olympics?
There is no question about Carlos Alcaraz, though. He is the future of tennis, and the future is here.
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