Novak Djokovic's title drought continues in 2024 as he loses yet another Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz
Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic's 2024 season has been marked by challenges left and right. In one of the most forgettable finals he has ever played, he lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) to 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of last year's final. The defeat adds to a series of disappointing results for World No. 2, who has yet to win a title in his campaign this year.
The match was expected to be a full repeat of last year's thrilling five-set duel, but Alcaraz dominated this one from the start, forcing Novak Djokovic to admit he was far from his best.
Djokovic's 2024 season has been marked by ups and downs. He reached the semifinals in the Australian Open, losing out to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in four sets. It marked his first loss at the tournament since 2018. He also suffered successive defeats at the Indian Wells Masters, the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open.
Then, his French Open campaign was cut short when he pulled out of the quarterfinals, set to play against Casper Ruud, due to a knee injury.
In his on-court interview after the Wimbledon final, Djokovic said:
"Obviously not the result I wanted, and in the first couple of sets, the level of tennis wasn’t up to par from my side, but credit to Carlos for really playing some amazing tennis, very complete tennis."
Aiming to win his 25th Grand Slam, the Serb contested the final against Alcaraz despite knee surgery just a month ago. While Alcaraz proved too strong for Djokovic's efforts, he will look to seek revenge at the US Open.
The 37-year-old has comfortably dominated the ITF calendar's final Major where he won the final against Daniil Medvedev last year after missing out on Wimbledon. Using this motivation, Djokovic should once again step onto the hard courts in New York to prove to his fans and critics that age is still just a number for him.
Novak Djokovic remains tied with Margaret Court at 24 Grand Slam singles titles and one shy of Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles. As the Serbian legend reflects on a tough season, he will surely seek to rise past adversities the next time he steps on the court.
Injuries and inconsistensies mark Novak Djokovic's tough 2024 campaign
Constant injuries and inconsistent performances have marked Novak Djokovic's 2024 campaign.
He started the year hoping to win his 25th major title at the Australian Open but lost to Jannik Sinner, ending his 33-match winning streak at the tournament. His struggles continued at the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost to the lowest-seeded player of the game Luca Nardi at 123.
While he reached the semifinals at the Monte-Carlo Masters, it was Casper Ruud who emerged victorious against the World No. 2. His troubles with the crowd continued as he was hit on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs and also subsequently lost to Alejandro Tabilo in just the third round.
Djokovic has also been battling knee problems for a while and had to withdraw from the French Open, eventually undergoing surgery just a month before Wimbledon.
Despite this setback, he reached his 37th Grand Slam final, losing to the young Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz. Reflecting on his season, Novak Djokovic said,
“Obviously there’s a little bit of disappointment right now, but when I reflect on the last couple of weeks and the last four to five weeks and what I’ve been through, I have to say I’m very satisfied.”
As Novak Djokovic looks ahead at the remainder of his campaign, he aims to get back to his best and not end the year trophyless.