Carlos Alcaraz overpowers Novak Djokovic with straight-set win at Wimbledon final, joins Roger Federer in special club
Carlos Alcaraz crushed Novak Djokovic in straight sets to defend his Wimbledon crown. He has joined Roger Federer in a special club.
Equalling the Open Era record for most Grand Slam wins, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz overpowered seven-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in straight sets to retain his Wimbledon title on Sunday. Five weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee, World No.2 Djokovic renewed his inter-generational rivalry with defending champion Alcaraz in the rematch of the Wimbledon 2023 final. A fourteen-minute opening game, with seven deuces and five break points - Alcaraz and Djokovic kickstarted the final of the Wimbledon final in grand fashion on the Centre Court. In the sequel of last year's final at the All England Club, Kate, the Princess of Wales, made a rare public appearance after her cancer diagnosis.
Living up to his title favourite tag in the summit clash, Alcaraz launched an all-out attack on second seed Djokovic in the opening set of the Grand Slam final. Defending champion Alcaraz got the better of Djokovic in the opener as the Spaniard won the first set 6-2 on the Centre Court. The 24-time Grand Slam winner was forced to come to the net eight times in the first set by Alcaraz. After earning a double break and holding his serve, Alcaraz ensured the first set was over at the 41-minute mark following a mammoth opening game.
Deja vu for Djokovic
Producing a similar show in the second set, Alcaraz overpowered Djokovic 6-2 to put himself on a famous straight-set win over the Serbinator. Though Djokovic staged an epic fightback in the third set, there was no stopping an on-song Alcaraz in the decider. Retaining his crown at the All England Club, Alcaraz won the third set tie-break to secure his fourth Grand Slam title. Red-hot Alcaraz crushed Djokovic to extend his major finals (4-0) record.
Carlito's road to 2024 Wimbledon title
| Rounds | Opponents | Results |
| 1st round: | Defeats Mark Lajal (EST) | 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-2 |
| 2nd round: | Beats Aleksander Vukic (AUS) | 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-2 |
| 3rd round: | Outclasses Frances Tiafoe (USA x29) | 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 |
| 4th round: | Upstages Ugo Humbert (FRA x16) | 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 |
| Quarter-finals | Knocks out Tommy Paul (USA x12) | 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Semi-finals | Overpowers Daniil Medvedev (RUS x5) | 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Final | Crushes Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) | 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) |
Alcaraz joins Roger Federer in elite club
Alcaraz joined the elite company of Roger Federer with his successful title defence at the Wimbledon Championship. The World No.3 has become the second player in the professional era after Federer to register wins in his first four major finals. The Wimbledon champion is the only sixth men's player since 1968 to claim the French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same year. The 21-year-old has joined Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Federer and Djokovic in the special club.
Djokovic denied record 8th Wimbledon title
Djokovic struggled to headline any main event this season before setting a date with Alcaraz in the final of the Wimbledon Championship. Interestingly, Djokovic also failed to defeat a top-10 player this season. The 37-year-old lost his World No.1 ranking to Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open title. Alcaraz succeeded him following the Spaniard's French Open title triumph. The newly-crowned Wimbledon champion thwarted Djokovic's bid to match Federer for eight Wimbledon trophies. Djokovic would have also eclipsed Margaret Court in the all-time list with a 25th Grand Slam title triumph.
What Alcaraz said about Novak after Wimbledon final
“Djokovic is an unbelievable fighter, I knew he was going to have his chances. It was difficult but I tried to stay calm going into the tie-break and tried to play my best tennis. I was glad at the end I could find the solutions,” Alcaraz said after his second successive Wimbledon title win in London. Alcaraz matched the Open Era record for most Grand Slams won at the age 21 or under as the Spanish third seed joined Boris Becker, Borg and Mats Wilander.
Did you know?
The 2024 Wimbledon champion has also won the 2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon and 2024 French Open titles in his impressive singles career. Alcaraz started playing tennis at the age of four for Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia. His father was the tennis academy director at the time. Alcaraz recorded his ATP main-draw debut (aged 16) at the 2020 Rio Open. He is the first teenager to beat icons Rafa Nadal and Djokovic in the same tournament.
Alcaraz bagged his first major title at the 2022 US Open with a famous win over Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final. The Spanish superstar became the youngest champion at the Flushing Meadows since American Pete Sampras (19) in 1990. Last year, the World No.3 became the first player outside the Big Four (Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray) to claim a Wimbledon title since 2002. With his win over Alexander Zverev in the 2024 French Open final, the four-time Grand Slam winner became the youngest men's player (21) to seal Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces.
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