Carlos Alcaraz reacts after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s final at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Sunday in London. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Last year, Carlos Alcaraz dethroned Novak Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title.
This year, in a rematch of last year’s five-setter, Alcaraz ascended to the throne in full. He defeated Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) to win his second Wimbledon title. This is only the fifth time in Djokovic’s career that he has been beaten consecutively in the final.
In the beginning, and throughout the first 2 1/2 sets, Djokovic was in trouble. He came out flat and played incredibly hard. He just didn’t look like him. And Alcaraz, normally a slow starter, came roaring out of the gate, putting Djokovic in a 2-0 hole before most of the fans had even entered.
Every point was another chance to see if Djokovic would wake up and realize, “hey, I’m in the finals at Wimbledon,” and every time, the fans were disappointed. . If he was getting better, it was impossible to see with his eyes. And Alcaraz was merciless. He was there to win, and when Djokovic scored more points from Alcaraz’s errors, he had reason to be confident.
Djokovic dropped the first set 6-2, and the second set went the same way. Without a deep revolution, he was trembling.
The third set is when Djokovic finally showed signs of life. He actually won the first game, and forced Alcaraz to start keeping up with him. But the revival was short-lived, as Alcaraz was able to keep up with Djokovic, who was trying to become the oldest man to win Wimbledon at 37.
Djokovic was able to force a tiebreak and gave himself a chance to extend the match, but was unable to bring it home. He seemed frustrated that his guns weren’t doing what they usually do, but mostly he looked tired. Even at the start of the tiebreak, it felt like we were running out of time until Alcaraz won.
Djokovic’s main opponent in the last few years has been Mr. Time. He’s been playing an invisible game against his tennis addiction, and until recently, he’s been winning hands down. His torn meniscus at the French Open was a problem, but that didn’t seem to affect him during the tournament (or during Sunday’s final).
But for perhaps the first time in his long career, Djokovic faced an opponent he couldn’t beat on Sunday. Alcaraz was very quick on his feet, very powerful with his shots, and very quick on the field. Although Djokovic had forced a fourth set, he did not seem to have the strength to turn the match to his will. But Alcaraz, 16 years younger than Djokovic, had the strength and power to play the other two sets with a tiebreaker in each.
This is the fourth Grand Slam title of Alcaraz’s young career, and half have been won on grass – although Wimbledon 2024 is the sixth grass-court tournament he has played.
In a few years, we may look back on this game as the moment when one era ended and another began; as Alcaraz beat one of the greatest tennis players in history for the second straight year and began his reign. But for now, we are left with questions. What made Djokovic work on Sunday? Was he hurt? Will this affect his appearance at the Olympics?
However, there is no question about Carlos Alcaraz. It is the future of tennis, and the future is here.
LIVE BREAD ENDED18 updates
Carlitos does it again!
Alcaraz does! He defeats Djokovic in straight sets to claim his second Wimbledon title~
Vacation time!
We’re heading to the end of the third grade!
Alcaraz can win it all if he wins this break. If Djokovic wins, he forces a fourth set.
Less than five minutes ago, Carlos Alcaraz was one point away from winning his second consecutive Wimbledon title.
He is now trying to prevent Novak Djokovic from winning the third set and forcing a fourth.
It’s tennis.
Alcaraz had three championship points, at one point it was love 30, but he made two mistakes to give Djokovic a chance and win.
They are now tied 5-5 in the third set, and Alcaraz seems frustrated that he couldn’t finish the game.
We really see Djokovic’s fight. The crowd is still chanting his name, because they don’t want the game to end after only three sets. Djokovic winning his form is the only way we will get more tennis.
Djokovic wakes up…
He has a 3-2 lead over Alcaraz in the third set. Can Alcaraz seal the deal, or will Djokovic play havoc?
Alcaraz gives, and Alcaraz takes. After going down 2-1, Alcaraz immediately tied it with a quick, no-nonsense game over Djokovic.
In the third set, Djokovic is fighting to regain his first lead of the tournament, while Alcaraz is looking to keep sailing.
It still plays like the original game, with lots of back and forth.
This time, Djokovic wins and leads 2-1 in the third set. Could this be a big change? Or will Alcaraz increase his efforts and keep Djokovic easy?
Carlos Alcaraz leads 2-0 over Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz is the only person left to defend his 2023 Wimbledon title. He won the second set 6-2, and the victory is close.
That was Djokovic’s best match of the day. He’s still down 3-2, but we saw glimpses of the real Djokovic there, trying to find a way to get back up.
Alcaraz took a 2-0 lead into the second set after winning a double-fault game. He has all the magic today.
Carlos Alcaraz leads 1-0
After the 14-minute long match, Alcaraz took the set, winning 6-2, and now has a 1-0 lead.
This is a familiar place for Djokovic. He’s done this before, in the quarterfinals and semifinals and finals. He did it against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the 2021 French Open.
But perhaps there is more to this poor start for Djokovic than meets the eye. Alcaraz isn’t usually that fast of a player, and to see him jump past Djokovic so easily would mean that Djokovic was off his game today, and not just playing possum.
Celebrity Update: We saw Benedict Cumberbatch. He is wearing normal clothes and unfortunately he is not dressed like Dr. Strange. That will rock the Wimbledon outfit.
Djokovic is on the board, but he hasn’t played like Djokovic yet. He’s down two times at 4-1 and looks solid as Alcaraz hits, playing loose and unruffled.
But we have seen this from Djokovic many times before. He will put up a bad first team and come roaring back in the second or even third, looking like a king of his day who was a little late to the party.
Alcaraz is in the lead, but there is a lot of play left. Anything could happen.
After a first game that lasted the better part of 15 minutes, Carlos Alcaraz broke Novak Djokovic to lead 1-0 in the first set.
The first match of the entire match – which can last five sets and an unlimited time – lasted about 10 minutes. Buckle up and get yourself a drink and a Wimbledon drink, because this could be one for the ages.
We are here for the Wimbledon final!
Hello fellow tennis fans, it’s time for the main match of Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic. Who are you with?
