Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz exchanged a few words after the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final, and the Spaniard recently revealed what they were.
Generally, when players shake hands after a huge final, they exchange a few words, mostly because one will end up with a trophy, so there is something to congratulate on.
Even in a regular match, some matchups extend the handshake, either to speak about the weather or possibly some grievances they have from the match.
In the case of the two Wimbledon finalists, the conversation was lighthearted, as Djokovic is known to be gracious in defeat. He never seems to be bitter with his opponent on the net, especially not after a matchup where both players respect each other tremendously.
Alcaraz told MARCA in a recent interview what they talked about, and it was an inside joke between them that was spawned at the start of Wimbledon when they ran into each other for the first time.
“When I saw him this year at Wimbledon for the first time, and he was dealing with his knee, we joked and I told him he was a superhuman, a titan.”
“Since then, every time we saw each other here, he called me a titan. On the net, he said to me: ‘Titan, congratulations, you deserve it.’ I don’t remember much else.”
Alcaraz also confirmed that he felt a massive relief after the match because that third set was very challenging. Alcaraz nearly took an early break but ultimately settled on taking it at 4-4.
He then had a 40-0 lead on his serve but wasted all three of the match points to get broken. He then had to play the tie-break, which he won 7-4, but obviously, that whole sequence wasn’t the smoothest, and he was glad and relieved that the match was over.
“Above all, relief at the last moment of the match, having won it and having them return. In the end, winning it in the tie-break relieved me.”
“Likewise, I felt satisfaction for everything I’ve been through taking care of my body, with all the little things I’ve been dealing with, and for all the work we’ve put in these four weeks here.”
