The final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships was different from expectations. Fans and experts were expecting a great battle after last year’s epic final, but Carlos Alcaraz dominated Novak Djokovic from the beginning to the end of the match with a very clear score on the Centre Court.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Exactly five years after the 2019 Wimbledon Final – in which Nole canceled two match points at Roger Federer – the Serbian suffered perhaps his worst defeat in a Grand Slam final (alongside that against Rafa Nadal at the 2020 French Open). The former world number 1 has never been able to create problems to a deluxe version of Alcaraz, which played the perfect match on the most important day. The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a small reaction in the third set, when the situation was now compromised, surrendering to the tiebreak after committing an avalanche of unforced errors.
The surgery on the knee a month ago definitely affected Nole’s approach to this edition of the Wimbledon Championships, where he reached his tenth final thanks to a favorable draw. For the Serbian legend, the goal of matching Federer with eight titles at Church Road, in the hope of taking revenge at the Paris Olympics at the end of this month, fades.
Djokovic’s era is over
The feeling is that Novak Djokovic’s era is definitely over. The 37-year-old from Belgrade has not yet won a title in 2024 and has just won two sets against the Top 10 this year. ‘Carlitos’ showed the world the current difficulties of Novak, unable to undermine the certainties of an opponent much younger and stronger than him. For the first time since 2005, Novak will enter August without a title.
During the post-match interview, Djokovic admitted Alcaraz’s superiority: “It’s impressive what he’s getting at his age. He made a great match, the way he has reacted to those three match points is tremendous. He deserves this title. I’ve to be very proud. There’s a bit of disappointment right now. When I reflect on last 4-5 weeks, on what I’ve been through, with my family, I’ve to say, I’m very satisfied. Wimbledon was a childhood dream tournament of mine. I try to remind myself how surreal the feeling is of being here. I’ve played so many times, I’ve fought for the trophy 10 times, but every time I step on the court, it feels like a first time.”
Novak Djokovic© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
The Serbian also joked with his children: “You are the joy of my life, you always smile at me, no matter what. I’m so grateful to be your father and it’s great to see how you like tennis more and more. I don’t know if I see myself with enough temperance to remain Stefan’s coach, but we’ll see.”
Even the best version of Nole would have struggled to stem the current version of Spanish. Carlitos played an almost perfect match from every point of view, except for a small drop when closing the match. The young Spaniard was very happy at the end of the match: “This is a dream for me. When I was 11, I had an interview and I said my big goal was to win Wimbledon. I got it for the second time and I want to keep doing it. This is the most beautiful trophy in the world.”
The ATP ranking remains the same
Despite his second consecutive win at the Wimbledon Championships, Alcaraz remains in third place in the ATP ranking behind Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. The three dominators of the men’s tour will meet at the Paris Olympics, where they will try to win a medal for their country. Alcaraz and Sinner will also play doubles with Rafa Nadal and Lorenzo Musetti, respectively.
Carlos Alcaraz, Wimbledon 2024© Francois Nel / Staff – Getty Images Sport
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Alex Corretja reflected on Alcaraz and Nadal’s chances in Paris: “I think for Carlitos it’s incredible to have the luck to have the experience of Rafa, for what he has been through, for what he’s felt, how he’s been able to manage all the biggest moments during his career.
And of course the freshness of a Carlos that’s coming on top form, that’s just won Roland-Garros, and I think that’s also going to help him [Alcaraz] to grow, and above all be aware of what a unique opportunity this is. In my opinion, I think he has that in his head and he’s going to enjoy it, I hope they do it.” Carlitos will not be accompanied by his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Olympics, but only by his agent Albert Molina. Ferrero will take a break and return during the American tournaments.