Novak Djokovic was very graceful in defeat once more, showering Carlos Alcaraz with praise after he lost to him in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final.
The Serbian didn’t play his best match in his 10th Wimbledon final. He was quite forthcoming about that after the match but also chose to highlight his opponent’s incredible qualities.
Djokovic didn’t play his best tennis, but he played at a decent level at times, which would have beaten plenty of players on the ATP Tour. It wasn’t enough for Alcaraz because the Spaniard was just too good.
The 21-year-old played an amazing match, complete from all sides, he had it all and was too good, which Djokovic mentioned during the post-match speech.
“He was definitely very hot today. Obviously not the result that I wanted, the level of tennis wasn’t up to par from my side but credit to Carlos for playing some amazing tennis, very complete tennis from back of the court, serve. He had it all today.”
Djokovic played a good third set and had some chances, but once again, the newly crowned four-time major winner rose above that and won the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).
Djokovic conceded defeat gracefully, admitting that Alcaraz was the deserved winner of the final match.
“I tried to push him, saving the three match points to extend the match a little, but it wasn’t meant to be. He was absolutely the deserved winner today, so huge congratulations to him for amazing tennis.”
While the outcome of the final wasn’t the desired one for Djokovic, he can take plenty of positives from this Wimbledon. Being able to play at all after knee surgery was incredible, and making the final was impressive.
Many, including the doctor who operated on his knee, didn’t believe he would be able to play, and he didn’t just play, he reached the final.
