LONDON – Carlos Alcaraz was ready from the get-go this time. A year ago in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz got off to a slow start, dropped the opening set and needed five to claim his first championship at the All England Club.
Sunday's rematch began with a game that felt monumental: 20 points across nearly 15 minutes, portending an engrossing, back-and forth contest — and a long one. There were moments of brilliance from both men. Alcaraz, though, was better. Just as he would be for nearly all of the next two hours.
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Alcaraz learned from 2023 and applied those lessons to 2024, adding up to a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Djokovic for a second consecutive Wimbledon championship and fourth Grand Slam title in all. And to think: He is still just 21.
“At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys,” said Alcaraz, who won the French Open last month and, after receiving Wimbledon's gold trophy from Kate, the Princes of Wales, is now just the sixth man to triumph on the red clay at Roland Garros and the grass at the All England Club in the same season. “That’s my main goal. That’s my dream right now.”
Alcaraz improved to 4-0 in major finals, including at the 2022 U.S. Open; only Roger Federer got off to a better start to a career among men, going 7-0.
“He just was better than me in every aspect of the game,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic, who had knee surgery less than 1 1/2 months ago yet was hoping to tie Federer's men's record of eight Wimbledon titles and become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam tournaments. “In movement, in the way he was just striking the ball beautifully, serving great. Everything.”
For Alcaraz, there was one brief blip, a five-point stretch that took him from the verge of victory to close to a collapse. It happened when he was a point from the championship while serving at 5-4, 40-love. But he double-faulted. Then missed a backhand. Then a volley. Then a forehand. And another forehand. Suddenly, it was 5-all. Suddenly, Alcaraz appeared rattled. Suddenly, Djokovic could hope.
Suddenly, there was intrigue.
But only briefly. Alcaraz regrouped, got to the tiebreaker, then closed things out.
Last year, Djokovic recalled, “We went toe to toe.”
“This year,” he continued, “it was nothing like that. It was all about him. He was the dominant force on the court and deserved to win.”
Wearing a gray sleeve on his knee, Djokovic was hardly at his best on a cloudy afternoon at Centre Court — and there's no doubt Alcaraz was a big part of the problem.
The very first game, it turned out, was the most competitive portion of the proceedings until the third set.
Not to say there weren’t hints of excitement the rest of the way. It's more that the outcome never really seemed in dispute.
“The first game was incredible. One of the longest first games I’ve ever played,” Djokovic said. “That set the tone. He was coming out from the blocks ready to battle and ready to play his best level right away, which wasn’t the case last year.”
Djokovic double-faulted to hand over a 5-1 lead in the first set. He put a volley into the net to fall behind by a break to begin the second, then double-faulted to end that one. Finally, in the third, Djokovic perked up a bit, registering his only break of serve all day, as spectators chanted his two-syllable nickname — “No-le! No-le!” — while others replied with choruses of “Let’s go, Carlos! Let’s go!”
Still, this was not the body-contorting, get-to-everything Djokovic everyone is accustomed to seeing, which makes sense considering there were serious questions about whether it would be possible to even participate at Wimbledon.
Against Alcaraz, Djokovic occasionally hopped awkwardly when he landed after serving or stepped gingerly — as if barefoot on a beach’s hot sand — between points. Missing volleys he usually makes, Djokovic won just 27 of 53 points when he went to the net. After netting a volley to close one early 11-stroke exchange, Djokovic sighed and walked to his sideline seat to grab a purple-and-green towel for dabbing at sweat. His facial expression was saying: “Come on, Carlitos, pick on someone your own age.”
Alcaraz was outstanding in pretty much every way, from the basic to the sorts of shots no one else would even try. Once, he leaped and wrapped his racket all the way around his back to get the ball over the net, although Djokovic did put an overhead away to get that point. Alcaraz ran wide of the doubles alley for forehand winners. Claimed points via drop shots. Smacked serves at up to 136 mph (219 kph). Accumulated 14 break points, converting five, and faced just three.
What can’t Alcaraz do?
Two days before the final, Djokovic paid Alcaraz quite a compliment, saying: “I see a lot of similarities between me and him."
So true. And remember: Alcaraz is just getting started.
“I want,” Alcaraz said, “to keep going.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis