2023 Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz Beats Novak Djokovic To Capture Title
- Triumphs 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
- Becomes 2nd youngest Wimbledon champ ever
In what many tennis pundits are already branding as ushering in the changing of guards in the sport, brilliant Spanish star, Carlos Alcaraz outlasted Novak Djokovic and become the second youngest Wimbledon champion at 20 years of age.
He follows in the footsteps of German former world No. 1 tennis player, Boris Becker who remains the youngest-ever winner of the singles Wimbledon Championships title, doing so at aged 17 in 1985.
Alcaraz’s astonishing victory over Djokovic in the All England Club final felt like an act of empire building as he pocketed his second major title with 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
The young Spaniard’s victory is coming a month after his body crumbled under the sheer tension of facing Djokovic at the French Open. But on Sunday, he recovered from a set deficit to perform remarkably across five sets and in the process toppled Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title.
Djokovic, who endured his first Centre Court defeat in more than 10 years on Sunday, has spent time destroying the hopes and dreams of nearly all younger challengers at the major tournaments in the past few years.
With his great rivals in the sport retreating from view in recent times, Djokovic has continued to hold off the next generation in men’s tennis, relishing his supremacy over them at major tournaments.
However, it has been clear for a long time that Alcaraz is just different, both in terms of his peerless on-court talents and the supreme mental strength that underpins his success.
It was an astonishing match and performance, a victory that required every immeasurable self-belief and sustained shot-making of the highest quality from Alcaraz while playing at a level of intensity that he has never experienced across five sets.
When it all ended, a triumphant Alcaraz said in his victory speech; “It’s great to win but even if I had lost, I would be really proud of myself with this amazing run, making history in this beautiful tournament, playing a final against a legend of our sport.
“It’s incredible, it’s a dream come true, to be able to play in these stages. It’s amazing, for a boy of 20 years old, I didn’t expect to reach this kind of situation really fast. I am really, really proud of myself.”
Alcaraz’s career was already clearly on a trajectory that few 20‑year‑olds have matched, yet the top seed’s performance at Wimbledon has somehow outpaced all of the deafening hype.
His ability to learn, adapt and improve is startling. Less than four weeks ago, Alcaraz began the grass-court season just trying to figure out how to play tennis on the surface without being so preoccupied by his balance and movement. He nearly lost at Queen’s Club against the No 83 Arthur Rinderknech.
