Wimbledon 2024 men's singles final: Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic to retain title
The repeat of last year's final yielded the same outcome as Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to retain his Wimbledon men's singles title on Sunday (14 July).
The 21-year-old won the 2024 edition 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in two hours and 28 minutes to become the first Spaniard to claim back-to-back Wimbledon triumphs, something neither Manuel Santana nor Rafael Nadal could manage.
Alcaraz is also the fourth man to win a fourth Grand slam title while aged 21 or under, matching Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Boris Becker.
In his on-court interview, he said, "Honestly, it’s a dream for me, winning this trophy. I did an interview when I was 11 years old and I said that my dream was to win Wimbledon so I’m repeating my dream. I want to keep going but obviously it’s a great feeling to play on this beautiful court, to lift this amazing trophy.
"I've said it before but, for me, this is the most beautiful tournament, the most beautiful court and obviously the most beautiful trophy."
He also becomes the sixth man to back up success at the French Open with victory at Wimbledon, matching the likes of Nadal, Djokovic. and Roger Federer. He added, "It’s a huge honour for me to be part of those players who have achieved Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in the same year. Really glad to be in the same table as Novak... huge champions. I don’t consider myself a champion yet, not like them, but I’ll try to keep going."
When asked about Spain's Euro 2024 final against England later on Sunday, he replied, "I'll watch it with my team, for sure. I've already done my job, so let's see the football. It's going to be a really difficult match."
Alcaraz backs up bold decision
A classic looked on the cards in this Wimbledon final as the opening game went to deuce seven times. After 14 minutes, Alcaraz, who had won the toss and unusually elected not to serve first, finally converted his fifth break point when Djokovic hit a forehand wide after netting a routine volley.
The reigning champion had little trouble holding serve to consolidate the break with Djokovic, seeking to equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon men's singles titles, following suit to get on the board.
Just weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery on his right knee, the 24-time Grand Slam winner had made a startling recovery to be fit for Wimbledon let alone reach the final. But Alcaraz was proving too strong with the youngster able to attack the Serbian's serve as well as prompt errors at the net.
That pressure continued to grow and a double fault handed Alcaraz a second break for a 4-1 lead. Djokovic forced a break point in the next game, but was unable to convert with the third seed serving out for the first set.
Carlos Alcaraz dazzles in front of star-studded Wimbledon crowd
Alcaraz broke again at the start of the second with Djokovic volleying into the net on the stretch. The 37-year-old was clearly not at his best, missing shots he would normally make and unable to cover the court with his usual speed.
In contrast, his opponent looked rock solid on serve and broke again thanks to another Djokovic double fault as he roared into a two-set lead.
Djokovic won the first two points on Alcaraz's serve at the start of set three, but the youngster showed incredible athleticism to get back to 30-all before holding to deuce.
The next game saw Alcaraz again threaten the Djokovic serve with the veteran having to show all of his fighting spirit to save four break points and keep his slim hopes alive.
Leading 3-2, Djokovic tried everything to break for the first time. He produced some sparkling passes to bring the game back to deuce, but Alcaraz was eventually able to hold.
The ninth game saw Alcaraz quickly bring up three break points. Djokovic saved the first, but a backhand cross-court pass moved the Spaniard to the brink of a successful title defence.
Then came the first sign of nerves from the reigning champion. Having moved to 40-0 to bring up three championship points, his serve suddenly deserted him. Djokovic, with every one of his winners now cheered loudly inside Centre Court, came back to convert just his third break point of the match and remain in the contest.
The set went to a tiebreak which, for the first time, generated the tension synonymous with last year's showdown. A wide forehand from Djokovic handed Alcaraz the mini-break although he managed to win the next point to make it 4-5. And after a sumptuous Alcaraz drop shot set up a fourth championship point, Djokovic netted his return to prolong his quest for a 25th Slam title.
Watched by a capacity crowd including the Princess of Wales - making a rare public appearance after undergoing treatment for cancer - former Wimbledon champions Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Chris Evert and Stefan Edberg, and actor Tom Cruise, Alcaraz was a worthy winner as he became the ninth man in the Open era to retain the title.
Djokovic said in his on-court interview, "He was definitely very hot today. It was obviously not the result I wanted and, especially the first couple of sets, the level of tennis wasn’t up to par really from my side. But credit to Carlos for really playing some amazing tennis, very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve, he had it all today.
"I tried to push him, saved the three match points and extended the match a little bit but it wasn't meant to be, really. He was an absolutely deserved winner today so huge congratulations to him."
Both men will play singles at Paris 2024 as Djokovic seeks the only big prize to elude him. Alcaraz will also contest the men's doubles alongside Nadal.