2 things that stood out in Carlos Alcaraz's win over Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon final
Top seed and World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat Novak Djokovic of Serbia 1-6 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 in a pulsating Wimbledon final on Sunday, July 16. The match lasted a little more than four and a half hours.
It was the first Wimbledon and second Grand Slam title for the precocious Spaniard, while the 36-year-old Serb narrowly missed out on a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. It seemed unlikely that Djokovic would ever lose on Centre Court at Wimbledon, but Alcaraz tamed the lion in his own den.
On that note, here's a look at two things that stood out in the match:
#1 Djokovic put a lot of pressure on Alcaraz’s forehand in the first 2 sets
Djokovic had to save a break point in the very first game of the match, but it was a smooth ride for him thereafter in the first set. He raced to a 5-0 lead, breaking Alcaraz twice in the process. The Spaniard managed to avoid a bagel by holding his serve, but the Serb then served the set out to make a wonderful start.
Alcaraz broke Djokovic in the second set to go 2-0 up but the Serb broke back to take the set into a tie-break. Djokovic led 3-0 and had a set point at 6-5, but then rather uncharacteristically hit a couple of his backhands into the set to let Alcaraz off the hook. The Spaniard then hit a stupendous return winner to win the set and draw level.
Djokovic kept making Alcaraz stretch toward his right side by playing his crosscourt forehands well. The Serb’s inside-in forehand also won him a number of points, as he kept hitting it deep with a lot of topspin. The Spaniard made his job easier by making a number of unforced errors.
Alcaraz, in comparison, played his shots a lot flatter in the first set and relied on power to hit through Djokovic. He failed in that pursuit and from the second set onwards, started using his backhand slice and forehand with topspin more frequently. This tactic allowed him to get enough time to recover and be in the proper position to deal with Djokovic’s next shot.
#2 Alcaraz won the 3rd set easily, but a battle of attrition followed
From the second set onwards, Alcaraz started rushing the net more frequently to counter Djokovic’s tactic of playing his shots deep and won a lot of points with his brilliant drop volleys. The Spaniard, however, faltered on a number of occasions while trying to hit half-volleys.
Alcaraz used his crosscourt forehand with plenty of topspin very effectively, testing Djokovic’s court coverage. He also held his own in the crosscourt backhand exchanges, and his crosscourt backhand with a sharp angle won him a number of points.
Alcaraz was not very successful playing the drop shot in the first two sets but as the match progressed, he started executing it with more dexterity.
The Spaniard raced through the third set, but it was a battle of attrition thereafter. Djokovic broke Alcaraz twice to win the fourth set, but the latter got the break of serve in the third game of the final set before clinching an epic win.
Both players defended very well by moving swiftly across the width of the baseline and had some stupendous exchanges at the net, but it was Alcaraz who managed to scrape through by the finest of margins.