Carlos Alcaraz defeated defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in a thrilling men’s singles final on Sunday. The 20-year-old Spaniard won his maiden Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam with a score of 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
“Winning my second Grand Slam here at Wimbledon is something truly special for me – undoubtedly a dream come true,” Alcaraz said after the victory, according to USA Today. “I’m overjoyed to be back after the first set. And playing against Novak and finishing up with such a high level of play has been an incredible experience for me.”
Alcaraz ended Djokovic’s quest to win all four majors this year by breaking his four consecutive Wimbledon wins and total of 34 matches.
Djokovic’s 35th outing on Centre Court was also his first defeat at Wimbledon since losing the men’s singles final to Andy Murray in 2013.
“Of course, you never like losing these kinds of matches, but I guess when all the emotions settle, I still have to be very grateful because I’ve won many, many tight and close matches here,” Djokovic told USA Today. “Perhaps I should have lost a few of the ones I won, so it’s even Steven.”
Alcaraz is the third-youngest Wimbledon champion since 1986 and the first men’s singles champion since 2002 who isn’t Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal. According to The New York Times, Alcaraz characterized collecting the Wimbledon trophy as “a dream come true,” and jokedly addressed Djokovic, saying, “Now that I’ve won, I hope you come to more of my matches.”
Alcaraz conveyed his gratitude to the tennis great in his acceptance speech, which he uploaded on Wimbledon’s Twitter account, stating, “It’s fantastic. You are a huge inspiration to me. I began playing tennis and observing you. Since my birth, you’ve already won tournaments. It’s incredible.”
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