By Victor Kanayo
World number one Carlos Alcaraz shocked Novak Djokovic in the final to emerge the new Wimbledon champion.
He defeated Djokovic 6-4 in the final set to seal the five-set thriller.
It was never easy for the Spaniard who lost the first set 1-6.
He not only made a comeback but also went on to surprise Djokovic with two consecutive set wins.
Djokovic stayed alive in the match by sealing the fourth set. But in the final set, it was Alcaraz at his best again as he broke the Serbian and later sealed the match.
Djokovic Thwarted Ambition
Djokovic was going for a fifth straight win, an eighth men’s triumph and a 24th major all-record-equalling feats.
But the 36-year-old Serb was outlasted by top seed Alcaraz, who underlined his class by winning a second major title.
Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, celebrated by falling flat on his face and kicking a ball into the crowd after taking his first match point.
The majority of a packed Centre Court, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales, actor Brad Pitt and two-time winner Andy Murray, rose to their feet to acclaim the All England Club’s newest champion.
Australian Open and French Open champion Djokovic had been bidding to equal Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and match Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24 Slams.
When he won his first major at the Australian Open in 2008, Alcaraz was still three months shy of his fifth birthday.
Djokovic was playing in his ninth final at Wimbledon and 35th at the majors, while for Alcaraz it was just a second in the Slams following his US Open triumph.
The Serb went into the match not having lost on Centre Court since his 2013 final defeat to Andy Murray and he hit with relentless precision in the first set.
Alcarez Record Victory
Alcaraz is the third youngest man to win the Wimbledon title in the Open era after 17-year-old Boris Becker in 1985 and 20-year-old Bjorn Borg in 1976.
It was a second major for the 20-year-old Spaniard following his US Open title last year as he became Wimbledon’s third youngest men’s champion.
The result will also spark feverish speculation over the start of a generational shift, with 36-year-old Djokovic carrying the torch of the ‘Big Three’ now that Roger Federer is retired and Rafael Nadal is sidelined, perhaps permanently.
