Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Wimbledon title on Sunday, overcoming Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) to secure his second championship on the grass courts at SW19.
Despite a late surge from Djokovic, Alcaraz held firm to complete the victory in under three hours on Centre Court.
Unlike their five-set battle last year, this year’s final saw Alcaraz dominate in a relatively one-sided encounter.
The Spaniard converted five of 14 break points and showcased his consistency and precision throughout the match.
Aside from being broken when serving at 5-4 for the match, he was rarely troubled. He only faced three break points, all of which came in game ten of the third set.
Djokovic, who had not been tested during the fortnight, was aiming for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and his 25th major. Yet he struggled to find his game against Alcaraz and never really got going as the Spaniard outplayed him in every area of the court.
Match Stats
| Carlos Alcaraz | Novak Djokovic | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 5 | 8 |
| Double Faults | 6 | 4 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 59% | 70% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 84% (47/56) | 66% (47/71) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 51% (20/39) | 40% (12/30) |
| Break Points Saved | 67% (2/3) | 64% (9/14) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 34% (24/71) | 16% (9/56) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 60% (18/30) | 49% (19/39) |
| Break Points Converted | 36% (5/14) | 33% (1/3) |
| Winners | 42 | 26 |
| Unforced Errors | 24 | 25 |
| Net Points Won | 73% (16/22) | 51% (27/53) |
| Max Points In Row | 6 | 7 |
| Service Points Won | 71% (67/95) | 58% (59/101) |
| Return Points Won | 42% (42/101) | 29% (28/95) |
| Total Points Won | 56% (109/196) | 44% (87/196) |
| Max Games In Row | 3 | 2 |
| Service Games Won | 93% (13/14) | 64% (9/14) |
| Return Games Won | 36% (5/14) | 7% (1/14) |
| Total Games Won | 64% (18/28) | 36% (10/28) |
Highlights
This one from Carlos was a bit of a demolition job. If it weren’t for Djokovic rising to the occasion at 4-5 in the third set, where he made solid returns to break back, it would have been even more of a lopsided final.
The tone was set in the very first game. Alcaraz took 14 minutes, seven deuces, and five break points to break Djokovic’s serve, and the Serb never recovered from that.
Why didn’t it go according to plan for Novak? The first thing was Alcaraz playing super sharp from the word go, which suffocated his game. He had little breathing room, was down in the score early in both sets and didn’t have anything to build on.
The second is that Djokovic had no real tests to pass during this fortnight or all year. Since his loss to Sinner in Australia, he’s not had any huge tests on the court to build the confidence and resilience needed at the business end of Grand Slams.
Rune, a walkover, and Musetti are child’s play for a player of Novak’s ilk. On the other hand, Alcaraz had more of a hard time en route to the final. Like the French Open, he didn’t play his best tennis but got the job done and made it happen in the final.
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… he wasn’t allowing me free points on my serve. He played with a lot of variety. I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day yesterday. He outplayed me… he was better than me in every aspect of the game.
To have a chance to beat these guys in latter stages of Grand Slams or Olympics, I’m gonna have to play much better than I did today’
Being able to reach the final of Wimbledon gives a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a matchup today against the best player in the world right now for sure, other than Jannik, both of them are the best this year by far… I feel like I’m not at that level. In order to really have a chance to beat these guys in the Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m gonna have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today. It’s not something I haven’t experienced before in my life.. in the face of adversity, normally I rise, learn, & get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do.
Djokovic on his loss.
From Alcaraz’s side, he came to play and hit ultra clean from the first point. Pretty much every shot he hit applied pressure, and he was never made to try and force the issue or overplay from the baseline, which Novak often makes you do. Too good from him, and he leaves Wimbledon as the worthy winner.
What did you think of the final? Let me know in the comments.
