20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz came back from a set down to beat 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic from Serbia in the Gentlemen’s Singles Final in Wimbledon 2023. The all-important victory contributed to the world no. 1 player’s second major title, having also famously took down 24-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final of the US Open as a teenager last year. What is more is that Alcaraz’s vital victory in Wimbledon 2023 also ended Djokovic’s streaks of four consecutive titles in the world’s oldest tennis tournament and two straight Grand Slam wins this year.
Came Back From 1-0 Down to Win Second Grand Slam
The young and volatile Spanish tennis player was clearly nervous in the first set of his second-ever Grand Slam final, while the holder of the all-time Grand Slam record Djokovic quickly capitalised on his opponent’s slow start, storming himself to a quick one-set lead with a score of 6-1.
Nevertheless, the opening set’s momentum did not put out the fire of the Spaniard, as he was determined to turn things around in his first Grand Slam final on a grass court. Alcaraz established a 2-0 lead in the following set, before a tough Djokovic forced him into a tie-break, in which the Spanish player ultimately won 7-6 (8-6). The momentum was evidently on the then-one-time Grand Slam winner in the third set, with Alcaraz returning the first set’s favour to his world no. 2 opponent from Serbia.
The fourth was a do-or-die mission for the 36-year-old Djokovic, who was in his 35th Grand Slam Final and eyeing to extend his Grand Slam record to 24 titles this time around, fought back from a 2-1 lead by his younger opposition to level things up and send the match to a fifth and final set.
The smile says it all 😁#Wimbledon | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/s9mhueFqOx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2023
The Youngest Wimbledon Finalist Since Rafael Nadal and Third Youngest Men’s Champion
Both players went back and forth in the last set of this Grand Slam Final, and none of them was going to let this victory slip away from their hands. However, the cruelty of sports meant there could only be one winner in this situation and it was the younger man among the two who crossed the finishing line as the winner. World no. 1 Alcaraz served for his match point and handsomely beat Djokovic 6-4 in the final set to win his second Grand Slam.
Prior to going all the way to capture another Grand Slam win, Alcaraz broke the record by becoming the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon Final since his older compatriot Rafael Nadal did it in 2006. Besides, the 20-year-old wonderkid is now the third youngest player to win the grass court Grand Slam title, only trailing behind German’s Boris Becker and Sweden’s Björn Borg, who were 17 and 20 years of age in the 1985 Final and the 1976 Final respectively.
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Secured the World No. 1 Ranking with This Victory
Alcaraz’s triumph in this year’s Wimbledon Final meant he has maintained his 100% record in Grand Slam Finals (Two wins in two finals), and he has prevented Djokovic from winning his record-tying eighth Slam in Wimbledon with his second victory over the Serbian. It is also worth mentioning that the age gap between the 20-year-old Alcaraz and 36-year-old Djokovic is the widest between two opponents in men’s Slam Final in almost half a century, and that Alcaraz is the first player not named Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon Slam since two decades ago.
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Alcaraz: “The Happiest Moment of My Life.”
The 2023 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles winner Alcaraz had this to say during the victory ceremony: “It’s great to win but even if I had lost I would have been really proud of myself for this amazing run, making history, playing in the final of this amazing tournament against a legend of our sport, it’s amazing, a dream come true. For a boy of 20 years old, I didn’t expect to reach this stage so fast. I’m very proud of myself and my team. I am falling in love with grass right now.”
On the other hand, the losing finalist Djokovic gracefully extended his congratulation towards the winner. The 23-time major winner stated that “I have to start obviously with praises to Carlos to his team – amazing and what a quality at the end of the match, when you had to serve it out you came out with some big serves and some big plays and you deserve it absolutely, congratulations, amazing. Congratulations, an amazing way to adapt to the surface and you played maybe once or twice before this year’s Wimbledon on grass and, just what you did in Queen’s, congratulations to your team, everybody”.
Markéta Vondroušová Won the Ladies’ Singles Title
In the Ladies’ Singles Final, 24-year-old Czech player Markéta Vondroušová overcame Tunisian Ons Jabeur in a straight-set victory with a score line of 6-4, 6-4. The Sokolov-born tennis star became the first and only unseeded woman to win Wimbledon last weekend, doing it so in her second-ever major Final, having made into her first finale back in the French Open in 2019, while her 28-year-old opponent from Ksar Hellal, Monastir once again failed to capture that elusive grass court title for a second straight year.
With Wimbledon now done and dusted, who do you think have the biggest chance to win the last remaining Grand Slam (The US Open) in 2023? Give us your bold prediction down in the comment section below right away! Also, feel free to check out otherleague.com for the latest news and updates happening in the world of sports.
