Carlos Alcaraz has had a career beyond others in his short period at the top of his sport. He has won major titles at a faster rate than all but a few 21-year-olds in history, and he has only scratched the surface of his potential. With each new victory, he moves closer to becoming the dominant power in his sport.
That moment must have just arrived. A year after snatching the Wimbledon title from Novak Djokovic’s grip in five breathless sets, Carlos Alcaraz delivered an astonishing performance under duress to defeat the seven-time champion Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) and win Wimbledon for the second year in a row. Alcaraz is now a four-time Grand Slam champion, joining Roger Federer as the only player to win their first four Grand Slam finals.
Carlos Alcaraz, the only player to win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same year
With this win, Carlos Alcaraz became only the sixth player to win the men’s titles at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, a feat dubbed as the “Channel Slam”. This is Alcaraz’s first grand slam championship defence, and he has won several slam titles in the same calendar year.
“It’s a huge honour for me to be among those players who have won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year,” Alcaraz said, referring to Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. “I’m pleased to be at the same table with Novak to do it. Huge champions; I don’t consider myself to be a champion yet, not in the same way that they are, but I try to keep going and constructing my road, my journey.”
Djokovic’s run to the final was impressive in and of itself, given that he tore his meniscus during the French Open and had surgery right away. The 37-year-old reached the final without facing a top-10 opponent, as the ninth seed, Alex de Minaur, withdrew before their quarter-final, leaving him untested by one of the elite.
Djokovic was unprepared for Alcaraz’s spectacular ball-striking, diversity, and intense performance in the final.
From the start, Djokovic was frightened of exchanging with Carlos Alcaraz from the baseline. He attempted to shorten points by attacking the net as soon as possible, but Alcaraz stopped him every time. By the time the Spaniard led 6-2, 2-0, Djokovic had won only four of his 14 net approaches.
As Carlos Alcaraz built a strong lead, he struck the ball with greater freedom, launching himself into nuclear forehands, closing down the net, and keeping Djokovic guessing with a consistent supply of drop shots. Alcaraz repeatedly caused his opponent to scramble in his forehand corner, causing Djokovic to defend on his susceptible right knee in a way that none of his previous opponents had.
It wasn’t until Djokovic was down two sets that he started serving brilliantly and stringing holds together. However, the momentum swung only when Alcaraz reached 5-4, 40-0 on his serve. The three championship points were swiftly erased, thanks to a spectator who screamed shortly before Carlos Alcaraz overhit a forehand drive volley in the third. Two forehand errors later, they were knotted 5-5.
“It was 40-0, but I was seeing so far away,” Alcaraz explained. “Novak is an incredible fighter.” I knew he’d get another chance, so I had to stay there.”
To his credit, Alcaraz did not move. He held serve, forced a tiebreak, and regained control of the match. At 5-4 and two service points away from victory, Carlos Alcaraz had the guts to attempt an inch-perfect drop-shot to reach championship point again. This time, he held his nerve to secure a spectacular victory.
Despite owning two grand slam titles, Carlos Alcaraz will remain ranked third after Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. While the Spaniard has consistently demonstrated his brilliance over the last two years, the next step in his career has been to figure out how to do it week after week while remaining healthy.
Over the last two months, Carlos Alcaraz has dealt with a forearm injury that hampered his Roland Garros training, a difficult surface transition from clay to grass, and the growing physical and mental exhaustion that comes with playing deep in tournaments. Nevertheless, he managed to win both championships. In the future years, he will become more accustomed to winning under any circumstances.
Considering he does not experience the sensation very often, Djokovic is a tremendous loser. After the Princess of Wales presented both players with their trophies in her second public appearance since disclosing her cancer diagnosis, Djokovic made his consolation speech with trademark grace.
“Credit to Carlos for really playing some amazing tennis, very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve,” the Spaniard said. “He had everything today. I attempted to push him, save three match points, and stretch the game a little bit, but it wasn’t to be. He was a really deserving winner tonight, so congrats.”
As he celebrated another incredible success, Carlos Alcaraz was able to move his focus to Berlin for Spain’s Euro 2024 final versus England, which provided an opportunity for Sunday to commemorate a magnificent time in Spanish sport. “I’ve already done my job,” he said. “So let’s see in the football.”
Also Read: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz: Wimbledon 2024 Final Showdown
