It can’t yet be a passing of the baton, and it would be extremely hasty to sanction the end of Novak Djokovic’s dominance, but Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon triumph, at the end of an uncertain, hard-fought and spectacular final, represents the definitive consecration for the 20-year-old Spaniard , the new undisputed star of world tennis.
A champion on all surfaces, now also on grass, where he won his 12th consecutive match (on the eve of Wimbledon, he had won at Queen’s). And already able last year, thanks to his victory at the US Open, to become the youngest No. 1 in the world ever. A position that today – by winning the London tournament at the age of 20 years and 72 days, the third youngest winner of the Championships in the Open Era (behind only giants such as Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg) – he has deservedly consolidated.
“It’s a dream come true, I never expected to reach these levels on grass so soon – Alcaraz said -. Even if I had lost today, I would still have been proud of myself. Because I was already happy to be able to play such an important final”. Which implied inevitable generational implications, considering the 15 years and 348 days of difference between the players. Protagonists of the most awaited epilogue at the All England Club, the first two favourites, opposed in a match that did not disappoint the expectations of an audience, clearly aligned on the side of the Spaniard from El Palmar (Murcia). “But Novak remains a legend of our sport, he inspired me to start playing, when I was still a child I watched his matches on TV”.
Badly lost the first set, once freed from the tension for his first final on the London lawns, Alcaraz fights and wins the second match, and conquers the third set with enthusiasm. “In the first set I didn’t get demoralized, but I just thought about how I could raise my level,” said Alcaraz. His empty pass in the fourth set is punished by Djokovic’s surge of pride which drags the match to the fifth set. Where, however, it is the greater freshness and lucidity of the Spanish that prevails. (16 76(6) 61 36 64 in 4 hours and 42 minutes).
A victory legitimized by the statistics that indicate the Spaniard in front for points with both first serve and net, but above all for the number of winners, more than double (66 to 32) compared to those of the Serbian. Sportsman at the end of the match in recognizing the superiority of the opponent:
“I thought I would have problems with Carlos on hard and clay, but after today it’s a different story. It’s hard to digest a defeat like that, but if I think that I’ve won similar finals in the past that maybe I should have lost, I’m still credited with luck”.
At his third participation in Wimbledon, Alcaraz thus becomes the third Spaniard to win the Championships, after Manuel Santana (1966) and Rafa Nadal (2008, 2010); fifth overall (Conchita Martinez and Garbine Muguruza). “Before this year I had only played four tournaments on grass, but I must admit I fell in love with this surface. And it’s a real honor to have won in front of King Felipe (present in the royal box, ed). He must follow me more often. ..”.
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2023-07-16 18:01:00
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