TORONTO | Brad Pitt was in the stands of the All England Club, seated some four rows from the area reserved for journalists. At the other end of the field, in the royal box, there were obviously… members of the royal family. Prince William, his wife, Catherine Middleton, and their children.
But on this late July afternoon, as the sun was slowly beginning to set over Wimbledon Central, this closeness to the elite of society was of little importance to the tennis-loving sports journalist that I am.
Brad Pitt in the stands at Wimbledon Central, for the final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Photo: AFP
The real king, he was on the field, with his spectacular strikes that could have carved out a place among the games of the week in the major sports bulletins many times over.
more than a miracle
But Carlos Alcaraz is not only spectacular. Nor is he just the 20-year-old prodigy who has been described for the past year, this student of tennis who is constantly learning and improving from tournament to tournament, from match to match and even, from game to game. game.
What he did, moreover, in this final against Novak Djokovic almost a month ago now, on this beautiful Sunday afternoon in London during which the rain had finally left us alone.
He learned. Downgraded from the outset by the man with 23 major titles, the Spaniard took the end of his racquet into the wind that swirled on the center and turned it in his favor.
To the point of frustrating Djokovic, who, until then, was so convinced that this eighth title in London belonged to him that he applauded the strikes of his young rival and taunted the crowd who also applauded every good shot from Alcaraz. In his case, with the hope that this final would drag on.
Novak Djokovic sends a kiss to the crowd during his Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz. AFP
And it dragged on, for 4 hours 43 minutes, until it was the Spaniard who lay down, victorious, on the sacred grass. Because as I said, “Carlitos” is not just a miracle.
It’s a phenomenon.
The player needed by the world of the little yellow ball, at a time when Roger Federer’s tennis is no more than a precious memory, when we do not know if we will see the courage and tenacity of Rafael Nadal on the court, and where we were looking for another great rival to Djokovic.
It’s a phenomenon like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were in turn during their first great moments on the circuit.
The candor of its 20 years
But he is not only spectacular, powerful and fast, Alcaraz. Nor is it just this happy mixture between the tennis qualities of the three legends mentioned above.
He also has the candor of his 20s. The smile of a young man who doesn’t realize what’s happening to him, and above all, why it’s all happening so fast.
Who doesn’t understand why, when he sits down to lunch at his Spanish residence, there is the Wimbledon champion’s trophy in his dining room.
Carlos Alcaraz holds up the champion’s trophy at Wimbledon last July. Photo: AFP
Who, despite his two major titles and his first world ranking, smiles with toothy when he hears fans shout “Carlitos!” and “let’s go!” during his training at the center in Toronto.
Sport at its best
Are you a tennis fan? Everything you just read, you probably already knew. You knew you had to turn on your TV this week to see Carlos Alcaraz in action in Toronto.
Are you a sports fan, but tennis is not your thing? Watch one of his matches. Maybe you will discover a new passion.
And if you’re not a sports fan, I still advise you to risk watching him in action.
His athletic prowess, his freshness, his love for this discipline that he could bring to another level.
You will see the sport at its most beautiful.
2023-08-08 08:05:49
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