1 year ago
16
For truthful long, the question had been: "Why can't the adjacent procreation halt Novak Djokovic?"
Carlos Alcaraz, frozen by fearfulness astatine the imaginable of playing Djokovic successful the French Open semi-finals, yet did it.
Not lone did the Spaniard bushed Djokovic successful a Grand Slam final, helium bushed the 36-year-old Serb astatine the spot wherever helium has been unbeatable successful caller years.
Amid a feverish ambiance connected Centre Court connected Sunday, the 20-year-old won a thrilling five-set last to claim the Wimbledon men's singles title.
It stopped Djokovic winning a 5th successive rubric astatine SW19, an eighth men's rubric astatine the All England Club and a 24th large wide - each record-equalling feats.
Echoing the thoughts of galore onlookers, nine-time Wimbledon men's doubles champion Todd Woodbridge described Alcaraz's triumph arsenic a "changing of the guard".
"I did it for myself, not for the tennis generation, honestly," said Alcaraz, who became the archetypal subordinate to bushed Djokovic connected Centre Court since the 2013 final.
"Beating Novak astatine his best, successful this stage, making history, being the feline to bushed him aft 10 years unbeaten connected that court, is astonishing for me.
"But it's large for the caller generation, arsenic well, I deliberation to spot maine beating him and making them deliberation that they are susceptible to bash it."
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It has agelong been asked which players would instrumentality connected the men's crippled aft the careers of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal - who is acceptable to discontinue adjacent twelvemonth - and Roger Federer, who called it a time past year.
Djokovic was bidding to triumph the seventh of the past 9 Grand Slams helium has played in, having already claimed the Australian Open and French Open titles this year.
Although the Melbourne triumph came successful a tourney wherever Alcaraz was ruled retired done injury, the young Spaniard was incapable to halt him successful Paris.
Alcaraz saw his hopes successful past month's much-anticipated semi-final against Djokovic ruined by afloat assemblage cramps caused by nerves.
The aura of the past 22-time large champion loomed large. Factoring successful Djokovic's technique, tactics, mentality connected the tribunal and resilience disconnected it, helium has created a formidable fig which has overawed his younger opponents.
In the past 5 seasons, Djokovic has mislaid lone 8 of the 52 matches helium has played against opponents nether the property of 23.
Added to that, Alcaraz was lone the 2nd younger hostile - aft Daniil Medvedev astatine the 2021 US Open - to bushed Djokovic successful a Grand Slam last since 2020.
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal person dominated the athletics for overmuch of the past 2 decades, with Alcaraz becoming the archetypal antheral to triumph aggregate Grand Slams since Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka successful 2016.
The Spaniard is besides the archetypal antheral different than Federer, Nadal, Djokovic oregon Andy Murray to triumph Wimbledon since 2002.
Alcaraz's all-round crippled is simply a joyousness to watch. As good arsenic powerfulness from the baseline, helium has a deft interaction astir the nett and is capable to screen the tribunal with his athleticism.
Some person said Alcaraz's benignant takes elements from each of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.
"I would hold with that. I deliberation he's got fundamentally the champion of each 3 worlds," said Djokovic.
"He's got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and warring tone and unthinkable defence that we've seen with Rafa implicit the years.
"And I deliberation he's got immoderate bully sliding backhands that person got immoderate similarities with my backhands. Two-handed backhands, defence, being capable to adapt.
"I deliberation that has been my idiosyncratic spot for galore years. He has it, too.
"I haven't played a subordinate similar him ever, to beryllium honest. Roger and Rafa person their ain evidently strengths and weaknesses.
"Carlos is simply a precise implicit player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I deliberation are cardinal for longevity and for da palmy vocation connected each surfaces."
Djokovic, who turned 36 successful May and claimed "36 is the caller 26" successful the build-up to Sunday's final, has nary plans to discontinue yet and showed again this fortnight his powers are not waning.
But with the extremity of his vocation coming into view, Alcaraz is primed to instrumentality implicit astatine the apical for the agelong haul.
Alcaraz became the lone teen to go the men's satellite fig 1 erstwhile helium won the US Open past twelvemonth and remains apical of the rankings by claiming his 2nd large rubric astatine Wimbledon.
Such has been his emergence, a fewer of the players erstwhile heralded arsenic the 'next generation' to win the 'big three' whitethorn beryllium acrophobic they person missed the boat.
"Who's going to lucifer this kid for the adjacent fewer years?" asked 1987 Wimbledon victor Pat Cash. "It's hard to spot anybody."
English (US)