"I was inferior" - Novak Djokovic admits Carlos Alcaraz was better than him in every way possible in honest assessment of Wimbledon final loss
Novak Djokovic accepted that he was 'inferior' to Carlos Alcaraz on the court during their 2024 Wimbledon Championships final on Sunday, July 14. Alcaraz defeated the Serb in straight sets and the latter believes the Spaniard was better than him in all aspects of the game.
In a rematch of the 2023 final, Alcaraz was defending his title against seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic. This was the Serb's first final in 2024 and he was hoping to win a record-equaling eighth title. However, the Spaniard dominated the proceedings and won the match 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) in two hours and 27 minutes.
The 21-year-old won the first two sets convincingly after breaking the Serb twice in each set. In the third set, the 37-year-old showed signs of life and remarkably saved three championship points to break Alcaraz and make it 5-5.
The set went into a tiebreaker but Djokovic could not capitalize on the momentum and conceded defeat. During the post-match press conference, the 24-time Grand Slam winner accepted his inferiority to the Spaniard on the court.
“The way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court. He was a better player. That’s it. He played every single shot better than I did. I don’t think I could’ve done much more," the Serb said.
He added that Alcaraz's service game on the day was unlike anything he had seen him do before.
"I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136 [mph]. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day yesterday. He really outplayed me… he was better than me in every aspect of the game.”
Carlos Alcaraz credits 'unbelievable fighter' Novak Djokovic for saving 3 championship points in Wimbledon 2024 final
In the third set, Carlos Alcaraz led 5-4, 40-0, and was one point away from the title while serving. He had three championship points in hand but Novak Djokovic turned it around to break the Spaniard for the first time in the match.
Although the Serb lost the match in the tiebreaker in the third set, Alcaraz credited him for his undying spirit during his post-match on-court interview.
“It was 40-0. I was seeing so far away. Djokovic is an unbelievable fighter. I knew that he was going to his chances again. So I had to stay there. I tried to win the point with my serve, but I couldn’t. It was difficult for me," Carlos Alcaraz said.
The Spaniard added that he tried to stay calm in the tiebreaker and played his best tennis to win the match.
Djokovic also mentioned the potential comeback during his on-court interview.
"I tried to push him to save the three match points and extended the match a little bit but it wasn't meant to be really. He was an absolutely deserved winner today," he said.
Alcaraz joined the Serb and four other elite tennis players (Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer) to become the sixth man in the Open Era to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.