After conceding a terrible 1-6, the Spanish phenomenon toppled the master of the house, unbeaten on Central for 10 years and for 34 Wimbledon matches. He won a thriller lasting 4 hours and 46 minutes (1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4), celebrating his second Grand Slam title at just 20 years of age.
No roof was activated on Centre Court for this final of a rain-soaked Wimbledon 2023. But a swirling wind seemed to herald a famous plot twist in a film in which Novak Djokovic, of course, was the star and Carlos Alcaraz the supporting player, whatever the respective rankings might indicate.
Yet from the very first minutes, we were treated to the expected scenes, with the Serb dominating from the outset and the Spaniard a little too nervous for his very first final in the Temple of Tennis. In fact, it all went by too quickly, with Djokovic leading 1-6 after just 34 minutes of play, leaving poor Alcaraz screaming his frustration. “It was very disappointing for me at the time,” confided today’s winner. “I said to myself, Carlos, you need to raise your game.”
