Carlos Alcaraz dismantles clueless Novak Djokovic in lop-sided Wimbledon final, becomes 1st ever man from Spain to win back-to-back trophies at SW19
Carlos Alcaraz completed a surprising demolition job against Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2024 Championships on Sunday, beating the Serb in the final to defend his title at the tournament. With the win, the 21-year-old has become the first man from Spain to win back-to-back trophies at SW19.
In a rematch of last year's Wimbledon final, Alcaraz drew first blood, breaking twice in the opening set to go 4-1 up after a 15-minute opening game from the World No. 2. Alcaraz held on to win the set 6-2 after a little over 40 minutes of action on Center Court.
In the second set, the Spaniard broke first once again, taking a 3-1 lead against an uncharacteristically clueless Djokovic. He then extended the lead to 5-2, as the 24-time Grand Slam champion made an unexpected double fault when facing break point. From there, he took the set 6-2 to move within a set of his fourth Grand Slam title.
In the third set, the two remained on pace with each other until 4-4, with Djokovic showing some much improved tennis when compared to the first two sets. Regardless, Alcaraz broke through in the ninth game, forcing a break of serve to go 5-4 up. Serving for the match after that, the 21-year-old faltered unexpectedly despite being 40*-0 up, failing to convert three championship points.
As the set went to the tiebreaker, Alcaraz earned the first mini-break, going 3*-2 up initially. However, Djokovic clawed back again to level for 3-3. The lead came to the Spaniard once more for 5*-4, with a second chance to serve for the title. This time, he did not let the nerves get to him, converting his fourth championship point after nearly 2 and a half hours of play.
Carlos Alcaraz is now the first man from Spain to win back-to-back titles at Wimbledon. Only Rafael Nadal had won two trophies at the Grass Major before, winning in 2008 and 2010. Before the advent of the Open Era, Manuel Santana was the lone Spaniard to have won the Wimbledon title, doing so in 1966.
Novak Djokovic remains World No. 2 ahead of Carlos Alcaraz despite Wimbledon final loss
Despite defending his title at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Carlos Alcaraz will remain World No. 3 when the ATP rankings are refreshed on Monday. Novak Djokovic will be No. 2 as he is now, while Jannik Sinner stays intact at the top of the podium.
Djokovic is yet to win a title this season, a rarity for the 24-time Grand Slam champion. On the other hand, Alcaraz has three already, coming at the Indian Wells Open, the French Open and now at Wimbledon.