Wimbledon thriller

Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic – the match seemed like a David and Goliath battle. On the grass of the Wimbledon Centre Court which the Serbian legend has long treated as his back lawn, conquering the 23-time Grand Slam champion seemed like mission impossible. But not for 20-year-old Alcaraz, who rose to the occasion as he ended Djokovic’s stranglehold on tennis’s biggest crown by edging him 3-2 in a Wimbledon final for the ages. His stunning triumph in the epic title clash was witnessed by hundreds of millions of sports fans around the world, mesmerized by a stunning battle featuring the most successful player in tennis history and a young man with immense talent, confidence and perhaps a future as illustrious as Djokovic’s. Despite the fact that the young Spaniard is seen as the best player among the new generation, not many gave him much chance of toppling Djokovic, who was looking set for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title last Sunday.

Djokovic had won 34 consecutive matches at SW19 and had not lost on the Centre Court since falling to Andy Murray in the 2013 final. And when he took the first set comfortably, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Alcaraz. After all, Djokovic had won his previous 104 Grand Slam matches after taking the first set. In contrast, Alcaraz had little success to show on grass before his march to the 2023 Wimbledon final. His only previous Grand Slam title came at the US Open last year. He pulled out of the Australian Open due to injury and was beaten in the French Open semifinals by Djokovic.

It seemed like a mismatch, at least statistically. But Alcaraz gave a career-defining performance as he came back with a vengeance to rewrite history by winning the high-voltage final that lasted for almost five hours. His victory marks the first time any man other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic has won the Wimbledon title in 21 years. His triumph also heralds a new era following two decades of Grand Slam dominance by the Big 4. Alcaraz is the sort of player who can inject new life to men’s tennis. The way sports fans around the world cheered for him as he overcame a giant is clear proof that Alcaraz is currently the shiniest star in tennis. But this isn’t the end of Djokovic’s era. Far from it. His quest for a record 24th Grand Slam title will make sure that Djokovic will make all out efforts to bounce back. He will have a brand new challenge: to avenge his Wimbleson final loss. Alcaraz will meanwhile be looking towards cementing his place as Djokovic’s true successor. Things seem set for more thrilling contests between the two on the international circuit. And that’s great news for international tennis.