For four straight tournaments at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic reigned supreme on the grass courts. That run ended on Sunday as twenty-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz knocked off Djokovic in the Gentlemens Final. The match featured incredible action from start to finish.
As a relative neophyte to the sport of tennis, the back-and-forth exchanges between Alcaraz and Djokovic felt immediately compelling. Like a heavyweight title fight, the two players traded blows hoping to gain the advantage over their opponent. Djokovic would win the first set before Alcaraz came storming back to take the second set after a massive tiebreaker that had everyone on the edge of their seat.
Alcaraz went on to claim the third set as well, putting Djokovic under pressure to rally. And rally the seven-time Wimbledon winner did. Novak came storming back in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth set.
With levels of composure unbelievable for a player of just twenty years old, Alcaraz rose to the occasion in the fifth and final set. Facing a dominant competitor, the young Spaniard was undaunted and secured his second career Grand Slam victory by winning the set six games to four.
What’s Next For Carlos Alcaraz?
At just twenty years old, it feels like we’ve seen the ascendance of another potential all-time great with the Alcaraz victory at Wimbledon. His 2022 U.S. Open win was undeniably impressive. But taking down one of the all-time greats in one of his best tournaments? That makes a statement.
Novak Djokovic had won 34 straight matches at Wimbledon. The Serbian star felt like an obvious pick to win and yet none of that mattered to Alcaraz. Djokovic will hope to tie Roger Federer’s record for most Wimbledon titles in 2024 while Alcaraz looks to repeat as U.S. Open champion in 2023.
The 2023 Wimbledon Final was simply incredible. It surely made some new fans of tennis, including me. I look forward to catching more tennis action here at Pokatok – in particular, the U.S. Open when it rolls around in August.