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Novak Djokovic, with a career spanning 23 years and filled with numerous trophies, encountered a player unlike any he had faced before in Carlos Alcaraz.
During a riveting Wimbledon final on Centre Court, Alcaraz dethroned the 36-year-old Serb with a game-style that Djokovic likened to a combination of himself, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
Despite his efforts, Djokovic couldn’t overcome Alcaraz’s unique approach, and his pursuit of an eighth Wimbledon title and record-tying 24th Grand Slam victory was foiled. Alcaraz’s victory solidified his world number one status and avenged a previous loss to Djokovic in the French Open semi-final. This triumph, along with his 2022 U.S. Open win against Casper Ruud, erased any doubts about Alcaraz’s rising star in the tennis world.
Despite having faced only two Wimbledon defeats since his loss to Andy Murray in the 2013 final, Djokovic expressed his surprise at how rapidly the 20-year-old Alcaraz had become proficient in playing on all tennis surfaces.
“I didn’t expect him to play so well this year on grass, but he’s proven he’s the best player in the world,” Djokovic said after his 1-6 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 defeat.
“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that.
“He’s got basically the best of all three worlds. He’s got this Spanish bull mentality, fighting spirit and incredible defence that we’ve seen with Rafa. I think he’s got some nice sliding backhands, some similarities with my backhands.
“He is a complete player.”
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