Alcaraz’s feat at Wimbledon, beats Djokovic to win the tournament

It couldn’t be a pass, and it would be too rash to sanction the end of Novak Djokovic’s dominance, but Carlos Alcaraz’s victory at Wimbledon, in the end of an uncertain, difficult and fascinating final, marked the decisive finale. Honoring the 20-year-old Spanish player, the undisputed new star of world tennis.

A champion on all surfaces, and now also on grass, where he won his 12th consecutive match (on the eve of Wimbledon, he had won in Queen’s). And already last year, thanks to his victory at the US Open, he managed to become the youngest ever world No. 1. A position he deserved today by winning the London tournament at the age of 20 years and 72 days, he is the third-youngest winner of the tournament in the Open Era (behind only such giants as Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg).

“It’s a dream come true, I never expected to reach such levels on the grass so soon – said Alcaraz -. Even if I had lost today, I would still be proud of myself. Because I was really happy to be able to play such an important final.” Which has inevitable generational implications, considering the 15 years and 348 days of difference between the players. The champions of the awaited finale in the All England Club opposed the first two favorites, in a match that did not disappoint the audience, clearly taking the side of the Spaniard Elmar (Murcia). “But Novak is still a legend in our sport, he inspired me to start playing, when I was still a kid watching his matches on TV.”

Bad loss in the first set, once freed from the tension of his first final on the London lawns, Alcaraz fights back and wins the second match, also winning the third set with enthusiasm. “In the first set I didn’t feel down, I just thought about how to raise my level,” Alcaraz said. His empty passes in the fourth set are penalized with Djokovic’s pride taking the match to the fifth set. However, where the Spaniards have the greatest freshness and clarity. (16 76 (6) 61 36 64 in 4 hours 42 minutes).

A victory legitimized by the statistics indicating that the Spaniard is ahead of points with both the first serve and the net, but above all for the number of winners, more than double (66 against 32) compared to the Serbian. The athlete at the end of the match in acknowledging the superiority of the opponent:

“I thought I would have problems with Carlos on hard and clay courts, but after today it’s a different story. It’s hard to comprehend a defeat like that, but if I think I’ve won similar finals in the past I probably should have lost, I’m still credited with luck.”

In his third participation at Wimbledon, Alcaraz became the third Spanish player to win the tournament, after Manuel Santana (1966) and Rafa Nadal (2008, 2010); Fifth overall (Conchita Martinez and Garbine Muguruza). “Before this year I only played four tournaments on grass, but I must admit I fell in love with this surface. And it’s a real honor to win against King Felipe (in the royal box, ed.). Follow me often..”.

Reproduction © Copyright ANSA