.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Wimbledon 2024: One potential disaster averted, and Carlos Alcaraz is a two-time Wimbledon champion.
The Spaniard held off a late rally from Novak Djokovic to complete a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) triumph on Sunday and successfully defend his title at the grass major. Alcaraz let slip three championship points from 5-4, 40/0 in the third set as Djokovic threatened to kick-start a comeback, but the 21-year-old held firm in the subsequent tie-break to complete an ultimately dominant win on Centre Court.
"It is a dream for me, winning this trophy," said Alcaraz at the trophy ceremony. "In an interview when I was 11 or 12 years old I said my dream was to win Wimbledon, so I am repaying my dream. I want to keep going but it is a great feeling to play in this beautiful court and to lift this amazing trophy. This is the most beautiful tournament, most beautiful court and most beautiful trophy."
If Alcaraz's 2023 five-set win against Djokovic was an epic scrap to earn his first taste of glory at the All England Club, Sunday’s encounter was, for the most part, more akin to a procession straight to the top of the Wimbledon mountain. He dominated the seven-time champion Djokovic, who had impressed during his run to the final after undergoing knee surgery only last month, from the opening game on Centre Court. Alcaraz converted five of 14 break points he earned in a stunning performance on return.
With his two-hour, 27-minute win, Alcaraz became just the second man in the Open Era to win his first four Grand Slam finals (Roger Federer won his first seven). He is also just the sixth man in the Open Era to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Federer and Djokovic on that elite list.
"I think fighting, believing," Alcaraz said when asked about how he manged to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back. "It is a huge honour for me to be part of those players who have achieved Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year. They are huge champions. I don't consider myself as a champion yet, not like them, but I will keep going to build my path, my journey. It is a huge honour for me."
The third-seeded Alcaraz produced some classy winners across the three sets of Sunday's final, but it was his consistency that proved to be the key to his victory. After breaking Djokovic twice in the first set, including in a 14-minute opening game, the Spaniard repeated the feat in the second before putting his late lapse on serve behind him to take the third. The 21-year-old produced a series of delightful touches at the net and served precisely throughout a near-complete display.
Alcaraz seemed set to complete a perfect day on serve when he held his first three championship points at 5-4, 40/0. On the second of those, a fan called out as the Spaniard played a swinging volley. He pushed the ball wide and went on to drop serve for the first time in the match, but the way he retained his composure in the tie-break was typical of his overall performance.
“It was 40/0 but I was seeing [the trophy] so far away," said Alcaraz. "Djokovic is an unbelievable fighter and I knew he was going to have his chances again, so I had to stay there. I tried to win the point with the serve, but I couldn’t.
“It was difficult for me. I tried to stay calm, I tried to stay positive at that situation, going into the tie-break, and I tried to play my best tennis. That’s all I was thinking about. I’m really glad that at the end I could find the solution and I’m happy to be in this situation.”
After undergoing knee surgery in early June, Djokovic had made a remarkable comeback at Wimbledon this fortnight to reach his record-extending 37th major final. While he produced an uncharacteristically low-energy performance, the Serbian was given little chance to settle into the match by his inspired opponent. Djokovic's late revival in the third set was his only real moment of hope, but any thoughts of a prolonged comeback were quickly nipped in the bud as Alcaraz kept his cool to clinch the trophy.
“Obviously it is not the result that I wanted and especially in the first couple of sets, the level of tennis wasn’t up to par, really, from my side," said Djokovic at the trophy ceremony. "But credit to Carlos for playing some complete tennis. From the back of the court, on serve, he had it all today. I tried to push him and saved the three match points, extended the match a little bit, but it wasn’t meant to be really. He was an absolutely deserved winner today, so congratulations to him for amazing tennis.”
Alcaraz fired a number of powerful passing shots to delight the Centre Court crowd, and he racked up 42 winners to Djokovic's 26 in his victory. The Serbian's efforts to disrupt the rallies by coming to the net often proved fruitless: He won just 51 per cent (27/53) of points when he came forward, a number which also contributed his relatively low 66 per cent (47/71) of points won behind his first serve.
The pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series now stands at 3-3. Alcaraz has won his fourth major title having played fewer matches at Grand Slam level than any member of the 'Big 3' (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic). Alcaraz has played just 69 matches to claim his four major crowns, with Federer's 79 matches the lowest tally within the 'Big 3'.
The Spaniard’s victory in London has also boosted his standing in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. By winning his second major title of the year, Alcaraz has moved to within 250 points of Live Race leader Jannik Sinner, setting the stage for an intriguing battle for the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honour in the second half of the season.
Alcaraz and Djokovic’s showdown was one of the highlights of a huge sporting Sunday for British sports fans, with the England men’s national football team set to take on Spain in the Euro 2024 final later tonight. Tickets for the rematch of the epic 2023 Wimbledon final were reported to be going for over 10,000 US dollars online beforehand, while Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, was among those watching on Centre Court. It was just the royal’s second public appearance since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March.
As well as the Princess, there was plenty of tennis royalty enjoying Alcaraz and Djokovic’s clash. Former Wimbledon champions Stan Smith, Chris Evert, Stefan Edberg, Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt are in attendance, as is British WTA star Emma Raducanu. Other high-profile spectators include actors Tom Cruise, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Gerard Butler and Julia Roberts.
