No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated No. 2 Novak Djokovic in an instant classic at Wimbledon, claiming his first ever title at the tournament and second career Grand Slam victory. Djokovic will have to wait another year to tie Roger Federer’s all-time win record (8). With the win, Alcaraz breaks Djokovic’s four-year winning streak at Wimbledon.
The two met at the French Open in the semifinal round earlier this year, and Djokovic went on to win the title after defeating Alcaraz. But the king of the grass has now fallen to the 20-year-old Spaniard after a thrilling five sets. Check out the recap below.
First Set Recap- Djokovic 6, Alcaraz 1
Djokovic came out strong early and dominated the quick first set. For a moment, it looked like this could be over for Alcaraz all too soon.
Second Set Recap: Alcaraz 7, Djokovic 6
The second set immediately pushed that assumption aside. In a long, exhausting, back-and-forth set, Alcaraz emerged victorious. Alcaraz went up 5-4, but failed to capitalize on his momentum and allowed Djokovic to tie things up in one of the best rallies of the match. With the momentum now on Djokovic’s side, it once again looked like things were going south for Alcaraz, but he came back to win it on a long tiebreaker.
Third Set Recap: Alcaraz 6, Djokovic 1
Alcaraz pushed through the third set easily. Viewers could see Djokovic becoming frustrated — a stark difference from his earlier attitude, when he was hyping up the crowd and shooting grins left and right. Alcaraz broke Djokovic three times in this set
Fourth Set Recap: Djokovic 6, Alcaraz 3
Alcaraz took an early lead in the fourth set. Was Djokovic done for so soon? We know Djokovic — and so we know he wasn’t. The Serb dug deep into his Wimbledon roots to pull ahead out of the deficit and take the fourth.
Fifth Set Recap: Alcaraz 6, Djokovic 4
Djokovic was not going to go down easy with the chance of tying Federer’s Wimbledon record on the line. But Alcaraz had more energy, more drive, and more passion. Djokovic was getting visibly tired as he made unforced errors and let several balls drop. Alcaraz, buoyed by the crows, found that final burst of energy to get his first Wimbledon title and end Djokovic’s streak.
Here’s a look at Alcaraz’s run to the championship. He entered the tournament as the second-favorite with +350 odds. Alcaraz takes home £2.35 million with the victory, while Djokovic takes home £1.175 million.
1st: def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-0 6-2 7-5
2nd: def. Alexandre Muller, 6-4 7-6 6-3
3rd: def. No. 25 Nicolas Jarry, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5
4th: def. Matteo Berrettini, 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-3
QF: def. No. 6 Holger, Rune, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4
SF: def. No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, 6-3 6-3 6-3
F: def. No. 2 Novak Djokovic, 1-6 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4