The future is now.
Carlos Alcaraz, the brightest star of tennis’ post-Big Three generation, has done what no one on earth has been able to do in five years: defeat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. Alcaraz shook off first-set jitters and fourth-set nerves to conquer Djokovic, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
It was as definitive a statement as tennis has seen, a 20-year-old with a single grand slam to his credit taking the game’s finest player to the absolute limit for an astounding, history-making victory.
Luminaries from Brad Pitt to Daniel Craig to the Prince and Princess of Wales gathered at Centre Court under blue, windy skies to watch the match with storylines right out of Shakespeare. On one end of the court, Djokovic, the four-time defending champion, looking to match Margaret Court’s record 24 grand slam titles. On the other, Alcaraz, the reigning U.S. Open champion hailed as the future of the game but playing for the first time on Centre Court.
Despite the vast difference in age, experience and accolades, opinions split on a favorite. AI went with Alcaraz; IBM’s Watson had the Spaniard as a 55 to 45 percent favorite. Sports books, on the other hand, favored Djokovic; BetMGM had him as a -200 favorite as the match began.
Alcaraz, the higher seed, opted to give Djokovic the honor of serving first, and for a moment, it appeared to be a strategic masterstroke. A sprinkle of rain had dampened the Centre Court grass about 45 minutes before the match began, and Djokovic struggled with his footing in the first game. After four deuce points, Djokovic finally held serve … and then proceeded to win the next four games after that.
The only flaws in Alcaraz’s game Sunday were of strategy, not execution. Alcaraz spent the first set trying to force his booming forehands, but Djokovic simply slowed the tempo, both during and between points. Alcaraz couldn’t adjust, dropping two consecutive serve games to go down 5-0. A meaningless sixth-game service victory set up the seventh and final game of the first set, where Djokovic lasered in and crushed Alcaraz in four straight points to take the set 6-1.
Djokovic is 79-1 at Wimbledon when winning the first set, and the opening four sets of the second set showed why he’s so dangerous with a lead. Alcaraz won the first two games of the set, allowing himself smiles and fist-pumps for the first time all match. But Djokovic rapidly snuffed out the daylight between them, breaking Alcaraz and winning his service game to even the set at two games apiece. The two crafted an early-match highlight in the set’s fourth game: a 29-shot rally that ignited the crowd and ended with a defiant Djokovic howl.
Robbed of the ability to control the game’s tempo, Alcaraz attempted to work the geometric angle, spraying Djokovic wide on serves and luring him forward with drop shots. Alcaraz at last unleashed his athleticism, sending Djokovic sprawling wide on point after point. And at last, after an hour-and-25-minute second set, it paid off. Alcaraz claimed the second set via an 8-6 tiebreaker victory.
The second-set win snapped Djokovic’s run of 15 straight tiebreak victories in majors, including six in this year’s Wimbledon alone. It also dented Djokovic’s aura of invincibility and inevitability. Alcaraz broke Djokovic to start the third set, taking his first match lead all afternoon.
The third set marked a crucial point in the budding Djokovic-Alcaraz rivalry. The two had only played twice before, most recently and notably at the French Open in June. Also in that match, Djokovic had won the first set, and Alcaraz the second in a tiebreak. But early in that third set, Alcaraz began cramping up, and he would win only two more games the entire match. Djokovic would go on to capture the French Open, his second grand slam victory of the year and 23rd overall.
On Sunday, cramps weren’t an issue, but sheer exhaustion came into play. The fifth game of the third set was one of the most epic in Wimbledon history, a 26-minute, 56-second, 32-point beast that featured 13 deuce points, eight game points for Djokovic, and seven break points for Alcaraz. In the end, Alcaraz won the game and, two quick games later, held a 2-1 set lead. Djokovic virtually staggered to his bench between sets, clearly deflated after the marathon game.
Both players left the court briefly after the third set, and Alcaraz returned first, pacing and bouncing on his heels as Djokovic stretched out the break as long as he could. Djokovic returned to the court after a seven-minute break, walking onto the grass as the crowd chanted Alcaraz’s name.
Emboldened by his third-set victory, Alcaraz began tightening the screws on Djokovic, aggressively chasing serves with massive forehands, keeping Djokovic off balance and on his heels. That put Djokovic in an unfamiliar position, struggling just to stay even early in the fourth.
But as many stunned and defeated challengers can testify, Djokovic can appear to be flailing around up until the moment you realize he’s boxing you in and herding you toward the inevitable. Djokovic broke Alcaraz to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth, and blew kisses to the crowd as he did so. Four games later, Alcaraz double-faulted to surrender the fourth set and move to a decisive fifth.
Djokovic entered the final set carrying a 10-1 fifth-set record at Wimbledon. Djokovic held off an attempted break in the first game to go up 1-0, then Alcaraz did the exact same thing to tie the game score at 1. Alcaraz broke Djokovic to take a 2-1 lead, and a frustrated Djokovic responded by breaking his racket on the net post. Alcaraz ripped off a four-point hold immediately afterward to claim a 3-1 lead. Djokovic held serve, but in the sixth game, Alcaraz appeared to find another gear, hammering serve after serve to get to four games and two from a Wimbledon title.
But Djokovic remains dangerous as long as there’s a racket in his hand. He won his third game to draw within one of Alcaraz, using Alcaraz’s youth and energy against him by running him all over the court. Alcaraz gathered himself and rode deft drop-shots and overpowering aces to a 5-3 lead, leaving him just one game short of the title. Djokovic rallied with a strong service game to close to 5-4.
And then Alcaraz had Wimbledon on his racket, as chants of “Ole! Ole! Ole!” broke out around the grounds. After losing the first point, he popped a lob over Djokovic’s head to even the score at 15. Alcaraz managed a miracle-save volley to get to within two points of the title. A booming serve that Djokovic returned long put Alcaraz on the cusp of the championship, and a brilliant forehand closed out the miraculous victory.
