"What a great moment" - Rafael Nadal offers 'big hug' to countryman Carlos Alcaraz after 2nd straight Wimbledon final win over Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz received felicitations from his countryman, Rafael Nadal, following his second consecutive Wimbledon final win over Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in straight sets to defend his title successfully.
Third seed Alcaraz faced second-seeded Djokovic in a rematch of the 2023 final at Wimbledon. The 21-year-old triumphed in Paris on clay less than a month ago, while Djokovic, who underwent surgery early in June, was playing in his first final of the year.
Alcaraz dominated the proceedings from the beginning and continued to do so till the end. He faced a small scare from the Serb in the third set when Djokovic saved three championship points to take the set into a tiebreaker. However, Alcaraz kept his composure to see out the match 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in two hours and 27 minutes.
After the match, Djokovic admitted that he was 'inferior' to the Spaniard on the court. The Serb felt that Alcaraz was better than him in all aspects of the game.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal took to Instagram to congratulate his compatriot. Upon reaching the final, Alcaraz had become only the second Spaniard to reach multiple Wimbledon finals. With his win in the summit clash, he is now the second Spaniard, after Nadal, to win multiple Wimbledon titles.
Nadal, who is in Bastad, Sweden, posted an image of Alcaraz on Instagram and wrote:
"Congratulations Carlos 🇪🇸!!!!. 🏆🏆🏆🏆 What a great moment, another one. Big Hug!!!!"
Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, is currently preparing to participate in the Nordea Open in Bastad. He will take on Leo Borg in the first round of the ATP 250 tournament on Monday, July 15.
Rafael Nadal will join forces with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles event at Paris Olympics 2024
Rafael Nadal participated in three clay court tournaments before playing in the French Open this year. He opted to withdraw from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships to focus solely on clay and prepare for the upcoming Olympics, which will be played on the Roland Garros grounds.
Nadal will play at the Games in the singles as well as the doubles event, along with Carlos Alcaraz. David Ferrer confirmed the news during an event in Barcelona.
"As you all know, one of the doubles teams will be formed by Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal,” Ferrer, the captain of the Spanish men’s team said.
“The second team is yet to be decided, it’s not 100 percent certain. There is a clear idea, but we’re going to wait a little to decide it. If nothing happens to prevent it, Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris,” he added.
As part of his preparation, Nadal will also play the doubles event at the Nordea Open in Bastad, partnering with Casper Ruud. The duo will take on Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela Martínez and Guido Andreozzi in the first round.