Whoever we would like to see a Russian player in the decisive Wimbledon match, we have to admit that the Alcaraz-Djokovic final was the most anticipated. The tennis player of the era met with his potential replacement. The Spaniard is already being hailed as the top player in the next generation, and his current ranking confirms experts’ expectations.

It’s no surprise that the ending turned out just freaky!

Unpredictable duel

Before the decisive match at Wimbledon, the alignments were rather curious. The first (Alcaraz) and second (Djokovic) rackets of the world had only two head-to-head meetings, and not a single one on the grass. Each won once, but the triumph of the Serb at Roland Garros a month and a half ago left questions: then Novak won in four sets against an injured opponent. Now Carlos recovered and was in perfect order.

Carlos Alcaraz with a leg injury at Roland Garros 2023 during the semi-final against Novak Djokovic / Photo: © Clive Mason / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Both players reached the final with almost no problems. However, for the Serbian it was the 35th final at the Grand Slam tournaments, and for his opponent – only the second. And this was, perhaps, the main advantage of Djokovic.

Shocking start

In the first game, the Spaniard had two break points at once, but the Serb was able to twist this difficult situation in his favor. A difficult start for Novak did not become a problem, and Alcaraz may have instilled excessive confidence, bordering on relaxation.

The great Serb immediately outlined his claims to the next title. Carlos was somewhat discouraged. In the episodes that he decided in his favor in the game with Medvedev, now there were problems. Novak simply killed the opportunities for attack, filigree defending and constantly changing the rhythm. As a result, Djokovic started with a fantastic victory in the first set – 6:1.

Novak Djokovic / Photo: © Patrick Smith / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Transformation of Alcaraz

The pause between sets went to the benefit of Alcaraz. He talked to himself, took a breath and went to his pitch as charged as possible, taking it to zero. And then he succeeded in the break – the beginning of the game turned out to be very similar to the start of the match.

However, a complete copy did not come out. The Serb’s reaction was indicative: in a very difficult situation, he managed to make a return break and restore parity in the game. Although Alcaraz tried to build up the pace, to execute punches sharper and stronger, Djokovic still found the opportunity to pull them out. The colossal experience of the 36-year-old Novak leveled the opponent’s athleticism.

At the same time, most viewers liked the way the Spaniard played. For Djokovic, this was a reason for trolling the stands. The audience reciprocated: in London, Nola has been treated ambiguously since his fight with Federer.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic / Photo: © REUTERS / Toby Melville

The game came to a tie-break, which Novak used to crack like nuts. This time he started brilliantly, taking three draws in a row, but allowed the opponent to return and even win 8:6, equalizing the score in sets.

Set long game

The main achievement of the 20-year-old Spaniard can be considered the fact that he began to impose a fight on Djokovic’s serves every time. This annoyed Novak, who, both at the end of the second set and at the beginning of the third, made an unusual mistake for himself – he hit the net when hitting from the left.

Serb psychologically began to lose to a younger opponent. It is very difficult to imagine this, because the 24-time Grand Slam winner is considered the most mentally stable player on the tour.

The third set was remembered primarily for the fifth game, which lasted 26 minutes – almost the same as the entire first set (34 minutes). This segment eventually became the key one. Alcaraz took this set too – 6:1.

Carlos Alcaraz / Photo: © Julian Finney / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

It seems that tennis fans have not seen a more disassembled Djokovic for a long time. However, in the fourth, Novak gathered himself and began to cling to every game on the serve of a young opponent. The Serb returned to the game and equalized the score again! The London audience got the coolest five-set final.

Nerves to the limit

Anyone who is familiar with the personal history of Djokovic could at that moment think: “Now he will not miss his!” However, after losing the fourth set, Alcaraz did not allow himself to doubt his own strength.

Apparently, sensing that the young opponent did not give up, Novak allowed himself aggression for the first time in the match: he approached the net and crushed the racket on a wooden support with a flourish. The audience buzzed with displeasure, but the 36-year-old Serb did not care about such a reaction. He lost a match at Wimbledon for the first time in five years!

Racket Novak Djokovic / Photo: © Julian Finney / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Djokovic did not succeed in pinching Alcaras: the Spaniard took the title (1:6, 7:6 (8:6), 6:1, 3:6, 6:4). Carlos became the youngest tennis player to win two of the two Grand Slam finals in such a short time. Novak never caught up with Federer in terms of Wimbledon wins. However, the main thing is that the final turned out to be truly legendary.