Carlos Alcaraz crowned the young king of Wimbledon

July 16, 2023. Mark it as a watershed date in tennis history. Like July 2, 2001. Then, a 19-year-old Roger Federer — a Swiss oozing style with his hair wrapped neatly in a ponytail — carved a classy dent on the aura of Pete Sampras to mark the beginning of his legend and the start of an unparalleled era, halting the four-time Wimbledon defending champion going for his fifth.

Now, a 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz — a Spanish sensation seldom out of a smile — shook the resolute reign of seven-time champion Novak Djokovic to signal a defining moment in a potentially great career and the beginning of another passing of the baton, halting the four-time defending champion going for his fifth.

Then, it was the fourth round. Now, it was the final. Higher the stakes, greater the conquest. Make no mistake, Alcaraz’s 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 triumph over Djokovic on Sunday indeed was. Pick your reasons for it: Alcaraz is the first Wimbledon men's singles champion not named Djokovic, Federer, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray since 2002. Alcaraz did what no other man has been able to do to Djokovic on Centre Court since 2013. Alcaraz did it in a Slam where Djokovic hadn’t lost since 2017 and where he hadn’t gone beyond the fourth round.

And so as his signature forehand did not return on match point, Alcaraz slumped on the greens of the oldest tournament in tennis, stamping his name in a new power shift in men’s tennis after winning his first Wimbledon and second major at 20.

“It’s a dream come true for me," Alcaraz said on court, talking about “making history in this beautiful tournament”. The 23-time Slam champion Djokovic, a decade after last losing his only Wimbledon final and who remains one short of Federer's eight titles, joked: “I thought I’ll have trouble with you only on clay or hard courts, not on grass.”

It did appear so at the start. After Alcaraz couldn't seize on an early break chance, Djokovic pounced on it himself the very next game, a strong return of serve polished off by a solid forehand of statement. Worryingly for Alcaraz, not only was his forehand misfiring, but Djokovic was lighting it up more from that wing in the cross-court exchanges. The Serb’s sharp returns continuing to inflict pain and his most lethal weapon blunted, the Spaniard was battered.

Alcaraz did have his flashes of awe — the tweener that almost kissed the line or the curving forehand winner on the run, for instance — but the set was fast struck off 6-1 in 34 minutes.

Dazed in the opening set, the 20-year-old didn’t take too long to dazzle. It needed some help from Djokovic, whose level inexplicably dipped at the start of the second. Alcaraz got the break in the second game after a wide forehand from Djokovic who gifted three unforced errors in that game, one more than the entire first set.

Now Alcaraz too was getting back his touch at the net and the winners off his forehand. His drop shots though did not quite take off, putting him in constant trouble and allowing Djokovic to level up right back. Also putting Djokovic in trouble were his stumbling first serves but break point down, a defensively unscathed Djokovic came out on top of a 29-point gruelling tussle.

Alcaraz, however, had loosened up just fine to tighten the contest. It took the tiebreaker to separate the two, and Alcaraz from the 15 other guys who dared to put themselves there with the breaker of hopes. Djokovic had won 15 consecutive set shoot-offs in Slams and at 3-0 up, it seemed to head that way again. Then at 3-3 as Alcaraz disguised a clever forehand sliced drop winner after lining up for a booming strike, the complexation changed. At 4-5, Djokovic received a time violation. At 6-5, Djokovic netted a backhand to bungle a set point. At 7-6, Alcaraz swept the set from under Serb’s feet with a floating backhand return winner outside the reach of a charging Djokovic.

One set all. Exactly how their French Open semi-final had been set up before Alcaraz’s cramp made it a one-way traffic in Paris. Not in London, where Alcaraz rode the momentum. Dictating with his forehand and reproducing the drop shot-backhand pass combo, Alcaraz quickly got up and breaking to begin the third set. Nothing was quick about the fifth game, a 32-point, 26-minute marathon in which an exasperated-looking Djokovic netted drop shots, overhit forehands, dished out double faults and thwarted six break attempts. At the seventh time of asking as Djokovic netted a forehand, Alcaraz, forget about the cramps there, was cruising here. That was the set done, on the scoreboard and in Djokovic’s mind.

Djokovic, master of stalling the opponent’s momentum, went off for a lengthy bathroom break. He returned to Alcaraz warming up again and putting his serve under pressure. But it was the Spaniard’s serve that cracked instead in the fifth game as he missed a straightforward volley and smashed his kit. Alcaraz’s body language and game floundered as Djokovic wasn’t even asked to serve the set out.

Only twice had Djokovic been taken the distance in a Wimbledon final, winning both times. Alcaraz though was out there to rewrite history. And so in the third game despite Djokovic taking a tumble yet getting up and back in the rally, Alcaraz found the space for a backhand down the line pass and got the crucial break. A furious Djokovic slammed his racquet to the net and earned a code violation. A zen-like Alcaraz kept his poise serving for the championship, lobbing, volleying and cracking his forehand to earn his first Wimbledon title.

And dare we say, with many more in store.

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