The Spaniard wins the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon for the second time in a row – and outclasses Novak Djokovic. The Serb makes a strangely apathetic impression.
Carlos Alcaraz confidently plays his way into the Wimbledon final.
The “NZZ am Sonntag” asked what it would take to stop Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. An avatar like the one who has been bringing the Swedish pop group Abba back to life in fun-loving East London for the past two years?
Today we know that this requires neither artificial intelligence nor false magic. All it takes is a Spaniard who is not long out of his teenage years. This is by no means a cynical denigration of Djokovic’s work on the tennis courts of the world. Rather, it is a praise for Carlos Alcaraz.
Barely a month after his triumph at Roland-Garros and barely two months after his 21st birthday, Alcaraz won Wimbledon for the second time. At an age when others are just finding their feet, he is already a four-time winner of major tournaments.
The final a year ago changed a lot
Alcaraz really does seem to be setting new standards. Just three years ago, hardly anyone outside the tennis circus knew him. Spain was the country of Rafael Nadal and a whole host of other talented tennis players who excelled especially on clay. Then Alcaraz made his first mark at the 2021 US Open by qualifying for the quarterfinals. And the sorcerer’s apprentice learned quickly. Just twelve months later, he won his first major title in the final against Casper Ruud in New York. Shortly afterwards, Alcaraz became the youngest number 1 in the history of men’s tennis.
In recent months, Jannik Sinner has pushed him out of the headlines and the limelight somewhat. The South Tyrolean, who is a year older, won his first major title in Melbourne at the beginning of 2024. And after an excellent first half of the season, Sinner is at the top of the men’s rankings. But that is probably just a snapshot. After his quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon against Daniil Medvedev, his lead is shrinking. Alcaraz could regain the lead in the rankings at the US Open at the latest.
The time when players like Roger Federer (310 weeks) or Novak Djokovic (428) were able to stay at the top of the rankings for months or even years seems to be over. The top is now too broad, the new generation is too far away, they are no longer pushing forward, they have already arrived. The respect that protected the older players and allowed them to win matches in which their opponents were basically better is gone. No one is untouchable anymore.
In that respect, the Wimbledon tournament a year ago was a game changer, an event that changed a lot. Back then, Alcaraz needed a set in the final against Djokovic to get going before he got going. That was no longer the case. Alcaraz dictated the rhythm from the start on Sunday and got deep into the match. He took Djokovic’s first service game, which lasted 14 minutes alone. That showed the maturity that the Spaniard is growing. After the semi-final against Medvedev, he said: “The level of my game, but also that of my confidence, is really high.”
It was a message to the super player Djokovic, who wanted to draw level with Roger Federer with an eighth title at Wimbledon. That would certainly put him under pressure, the Serb said on Friday. And indeed, Djokovic seemed strangely apathetic for a long time. With a record of 25 major titles in front of him, he showed hardly any emotion, almost seemed a little disinterested. It was only when he managed to hold his serve to 2-1 in the third set despite vehement resistance from Alcaraz that he began to show the first signs of emotion.
An incredible rally and a sliding finish from Alcaraz 😮💨
This point had to be today’s game of the day, presented by @BarclaysUK#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/5TK6siGB60
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 14. July 2024
But the Spaniard was already two sets ahead. Shortly afterwards, Djokovic had his second break point, bringing his supporters into the game. But Alcaraz resolved the situation with two excellent first serves in the style of an experienced player. Djokovic was unable to turn the match around, and Federer remains the sole men’s record holder with eight Wimbledon titles. A mark that only Martina Navratilova has achieved among the women.
In the footsteps of Laver, Borg, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
By qualifying for the final again, Carlos Alcaraz is only the fourth man since tennis was opened up to professionals in 1968 to have played in more than one Wimbledon final at his age. At the same time, he has also won all four of his major finals. And Alcaraz is only the sixth player to win the titles in Paris and Wimbledon in the same year. Before him, only Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic managed this. These names illustrate the spheres in which Alcaraz already operates.
At 5:4 in the third set, Alcaraz served for the first time to win the match. He took a 40:0 lead – but still lost his serve for the first time. At that moment, Djokovic became the player you have to beat two or three times on the court before he really admits defeat. But it was only a brief flare-up. Shortly afterwards, the players were in the tiebreak, and in this, Alcaraz ended the match with his fourth match point.
Djokovic’s congratulations at the net were sincere, and perhaps they meant much more than that. Because more than ever, the moment seems to have come when a great era in men’s tennis is coming to an end. Djokovic will still be without a title in 2024. No one needs to be afraid of this replacement. The successors are no less exciting and talented than the generation around Djokovic.
Alcaraz accepted the Wimbledon trophy from the Princess of Wales. He then said that he did not consider himself a real champion yet, which sparked laughter in the audience. Perhaps his statement was also due to the fact that he still had an important task ahead of him. In keeping with Wimbledon tradition, he had to lead Barbora Krejcikova, the Czech winner of the women’s tournament, onto the dance floor at a ball on Sunday evening. A lot can go wrong there.
