The birth of the next superstar: Carlos Alcaraz enchants Wimbledon and celebrates the epic changing of the guard by Novak Djokovic, who even his anger and a Becker role cannot save. A 20-year-old beats the almost invincible – in one of the best tennis thrillers of all time.
Remember where you saw this game. That epic clash. Where you could marvel, cheer and shake your head. Where you witnessed something significant: changing of the times, changing of the guard, passing of the baton. Whatever you want to call it. This Sunday evening is about all the historical things that will still make stories in decades to come. It’s about the birth of a new superstar who could become a legend.
The 2023 Wimbledon winner is Carlos Alcaraz. And not Novak Djokovic. The final between the Spaniard and the Serb will go down as one of the greatest in the history of tennis. Because the sensation is perfect. There is a new king. And he’s only 20 years old. With 1: 6, 7: 6 (8: 6), 6: 1, 3: 6, 6: 4, the youngster has the upper hand in an almost five-hour thriller. Along with Boris Becker roles, smash bats and feuds with the audience. which. A. Duel.
Alcaraz didn’t just win Wimbledon. He beat one of the best of all time. A man who was practically invincible on this pitch. Who may have played his best tennis ever this year. The second in the world rankings had not lost 45 games on Wimbledon’s Center Court, and he had won 34 games in a row in London. “Becker’s living room” should have been renamed “Djokovic’ home port” long ago, he feels so comfortable on the sacred lawn. And then came the best 20-year-old to ever set foot on a tennis court.
“A dream come true for me”
This could be the beginning of a dynasty. Who will be able to hold a candle to this Alcaraz in the next few years? It’s hard to find someone. Even Djokovic will have a hard time with him. Because the youngster, who had only played three tournaments on grass before Wimbledon, is just getting better and better. Where is this supposed to end?
The Serb is also asking himself the same question. “It’s amazing what you did,” Djokovic said to his opponent after the game. “Amazing how you’ve adapted to the turf. You deserve it. And I thought I’d only have trouble with you on clay and hard.” Laughs from the record champion and the audience. But everyone knows how much truth there is in the sentences. Alcaraz is number one in the world, has two Grand Slam titles under his belt – and has enchanted the tennis world from a very young age.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” said Alcaraz to thunderous applause. The fans pushed him throughout the game, most of the sympathy rested on the Spaniard. “To write history in this beautiful tournament and to play against a legend”, he could not imagine anything better. He is 15 years and 348 days younger than his opponent and says: “I started playing tennis by watching you. When I was born you already won tournaments. That’s incredible.”
This could soon be the end for Djokovic after the seizure of power after Alcaraz grabbed the tennis crown in Wimbledon. But now into the match. Buckle up. Hold onto. Here we go. From Brad Pitt to Kate Middleton to the King of Spain, everyone is already here.
Djokovic in the clash with the audience
It begins with an insane display of power. Of pure dominance. And that’s on the part of Djokovic. After 28 minutes he leads 5-0. This was supposed to be a balanced duel. changing of the guard? No way. The young Alcaraz is nervous, simple forehands end up out of bounds, the serves don’t sit. As the Serbian machine coldly reels off its dominant tennis, making no mistakes, it secures the first set.
Alcaraz now knows that he must not lose the next round. Three sets in a row against the Serbs? Almost impossible. So there is additional pressure, but Alcaraz is finally looking more solid, like the player who has inspired the tennis world in London for the past two weeks. Now he also wins longer rallies, his forehand whips and cracking backhands find their target. The Spaniard gets a break – a first real sign of life.
The youngster is the leading player. But tennis is a fast sport and Djokovic can equalize. The Serb lets out a primal scream towards the crowd, who are far more supportive of the Spaniard, and clenches both fists. The beginning of a personal feud this afternoon. With a similar provocation he had already caused a sensation in the semi-finals. From this moment an epic fight develops. It’s finally the exciting and balanced game that everyone had wished for.
When the score was 3: 3, Djokovic even unpacked the Becker role, but Alcaraz won the hard-fought point. The audience loves and celebrates it. The Spaniard also puts a Becker roll on the green, which also fails. 4:4. Shortly thereafter, Djokovic interacts again with the audience, who celebrates him too little according to his taste. “Nole” calls follow promptly. The Serb wants to be loved, like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal once did. This also drives him to be the very best. Respect through achievement, if not love.
25-minute epic in movement 3
In the tie-break, Alcaraz achieved one of his greatest feats this afternoon. It is a signal of what kind of mentality monster the youngster already is and why he can become a big one. Djokovic has previously won 13 tiebreaks in a row, showing his mental superiority over the rest of the tennis court. Alcaraz, who must not fall further behind, feels the extra pressure and quickly finds himself 0-3 behind. But in champion’s fashion, he equalizes and with one of his so damn hard-to-predict stop balls to end a powerful baseline slugfest, he takes a 5-4 lead. Next he fends off a set ball and completes his own on the Serb’s serve with a top-class return, brand Novak Djokovic.
The ranks literally explode. Even the Royal Box jumps open. Alcaraz holds his hand to his ear as a shell. Not much of his typical cheeky grin can be seen at the moment. He’s totally focused. Djokovic turns to coach Goran Ivanisevic and asks: “Where has my game gone?”
In set three there is probably one of the most epic games in a final. Djokovic’s serve lasted an unbelievable 26 minutes, twelve times it was the debut. The Serb tangled with the referee several times, and boos rained down. Djokovic is unsettled, which doesn’t happen often, especially not in finals. Alcaraz must play his advantage now before the Serb wakes up again. Because he will wake up again. He is Novak Djokovic. And indeed, the Spaniard wins the game with the seventh breakball and then the third set.
Alcaraz has the best of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
But a record champion always gets back up. So also in this final. Alcaraz initially has the better moments in the fourth round, he fends off a smash with an incredible winner and looks like the winner again. But then Djokovic comes, first gets a break out of nowhere and then the sentence. Still annoyed by the fans with Alcaraz sympathies, he throws a rather ironically meant hand kiss to the ranks. Djokovic is a master at making the impossible possible. Four years ago he had two match points against him in the final against Federer and still won. This is child’s play in comparison.
But against this comeback king, against what is probably the most complete player of all time, Alcaraz rips off a top-class fifth set. With nerves of steel, he scrapes every ball out of the corners, dashes across the court with incredible footwork like a Michael Chang, then implements one of his dreaded stops again – another time, a forehand jumped in from another dimension, a sound barrier-breaking rocket to hurl onto the lawn. The viewers can hardly believe it, it’s that good.
It seems as if the Spaniard has watched Federer, Nadal and Djokovic all his life to train the best of the three legends: the Serb’s defensive movement in the corners, the beautiful slice backhand and the Swiss’s net game and the Forehand and the fighting spirit of his compatriot. Even these icons could not fall back on such a toolbox at the beginning.
The king is dead, long live the king
A new superstar is emerging right before the eyes of the entire tennis world. The changing of the guard, the dethroning of the king, is complete. Even if Djokovic will of course come back with even more fire and is far from being a discontinued model. But this Alcaraz is special. Made for the really big moments, everyone here feels that.
After the Spaniard’s decisive break, the completely frustrated Serb smashes his racket on the net post. Booing and a dent in the post are the result. A mind game just before the end? Doesn’t matter. The youngster doesn’t let that bother him. At a score of 5: 4, the most important service game in Carlos Alcaraz’s career follows. And what nerves does the boy have: After hitting a stop ball into the net at 0:15, he tries again immediately – with success, a cheeky praise brings the point afterwards. Then the 20-year-old jubilantly falls to the ground. A primal scream follows. The king is dead, long live the king!