LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz heralded the changing of the guard in men's tennis as he ended Novak Djokovic's long reign at Wimbledon with a rip-roaring 1-6 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory to win the All England Club title for the first time on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Serbian had been indestructible on Wimbledon's Centre Court for a decade but finally met his match as he ran out of ideas to stop young gun Alcaraz from hurtling towards the title.
After the 20-year-old had broken for a 2-1 lead in the fifth set with a stupendous passing shot winner, Djokovic's racket felt the full force of his anger as he smashed it against the wooden net post to leave it in a mangled mess.
That earned Djokovic a second warning in the contest, with the world number two having also been cautioned earlier for taking too much time to launch into his serves.
All that distraction failed to throw Alcaraz off course as he became the youngest man since 18-year-old Boris Becker in 1986 to win the Challenge Cup after Djokovic scooped a forehand into the net, leaving the Spaniard to collapse on to his back in his moment of triumph.
"It's a dream come true for me. It's great to win ... making history in this beautiful tournament," Alcaraz said as he cradled the trophy during the presentation ceremony.
To sum up what it meant to play a part in a match billed as the "collision of generations" Alcaraz then paid tribute to the man who was denied a fifth Wimbledon title in a row.
"I have to congratulate Novak. It's amazing to play against him. You inspire me. (When) I was born, you were winning tournaments."
FAST START
Djokovic, who won his first ATP title when Alcaraz was three years old, looked well on his way to winning a men's record-equalling eighth Wimbledon crown when he blew away his rival in the opening set.
Playing in front of James Bond actor Daniel Craig, Djokovic must have thought he had left his rival shaken and stirred as he scorched into a 5-0 lead in the blink of an eye.
But once Alcaraz had managed to loosen his limbs and register his name on the scoreboard after 32 minutes, the contest the world was waiting to see finally came alive.
Showing he was ready and waiting to tame the man he had described as "physically a beast; mentally a beast" in the run up to the final, the Spaniard broke for the first time for a 2-0 lead in the second.
But Djokovic is not known for being a human backboard for nothing and, with so much riding on this result - the Serbian was also looking to draw level with Margaret Court's all-time record haul of 24 majors - he let out a mighty roar that shook Centre Court when he broke back in the next game.
That got the adrenaline pumping through both players as they were soon caught up exchanging brutal strokes in a breathtaking 29-shot rally that ended with Alcaraz firing a backhand long.
With the fans hollering after every Alcaraz winner, and the Serbian's errors, a defiant Djokovic cupped his ear urging the crowd to show him a bit of respect.
HIGH DRAMA
The second set was dripping with drama as Djokovic was left slipping and sliding time and again as he tried to cope with a feast of Alcaraz dropshots that kept coming his way.
At 3-3, Djokovic was left rolling on the turf after he stumbled over while chasing down one such effort.
Although he managed to get the ball over the net, he was still lying flat on his back and could only watch in awe as the ball came back into his half of the court after Alcaraz volleyed a winner with almost his back to the net.
The cheering crowd leapt to their feet to salute the young pretender who was starting to feel more and more at home on the slick surface as he looked to end Djokovic's incredible 34-match winning streak on the most famous stage tennis has to offer.
With neither player daring to blink, the set rolled into a tiebreak where Djokovic was left quietly fuming on the baseline at 4-5 down after getting a time violation warning from umpire Fergus Murphy for taking more than the allowed 25 seconds.
Two points later the Serbian stood on the cusp of grabbing a two-sets-to-love lead but it was not meant to be.
Instead, Alcaraz was saluted by the roaring crowd as he produced a blazing down the line service return to win one of the highest quality sets seen at this year's championships.
The chants of "Carlos, Carlos, Carlos" rose to a crescendo when, at 3-1 up in the third set, Alcaraz stretched Djokovic to 13 deuces before finally breaking on his seventh break point in a mental and physical battle that dragged on for 26 minutes.
That punched a hole through Djokovic's aura of invincibility and, although the second seed came back to take the fourth set, his mind and body let him down in the fifth, leaving U.S. Open champion Alcaraz to celebrate a second Grand Slam triumph.
"I thought I'd have trouble with you only on clay and hard courts but maybe not on grass but now it's a different story from this year obviously. Congrats. Amazing way to adapt to the surface," Djokovic told his conqueror.
"You played maybe once or twice before this year's Wimbledon on grass and it's amazing just what you did."
Reuters
Mon Jul 17 2023
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 16, 2023. - REUTERS
Tingkat kompetensi, bomba hantar pasukan Hazmat ke China
Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM) akan menghantar Pasukan Khas Bahan Kimia Berbahaya (Hazmat) ke China untuk mendalami ilmu baharu tentang hidrogen.
Dua lelaki mengaku bersalah cuba ceroboh Istana Negara
Dua lelaki yang cuba memasuki Istana Negara dan mendakwa mahu berjumpa Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, pada Jumaat didakwa di Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur pada Isnin.
Habitat asal perlu dikekalkan & dipelihara
Menteri Pelancongan, Industri Kreatif dan Seni Persembahan Sarawak tidak bersetuju untuk memperkenalkan diplomasi orang utan kepada negara dagang sawit kerana ia bukan situasi terbaik bagi mamalia berkenaan.
Jenazah Faridah dijangka tiba di Kedah Rabu ini
Jenazah Pegawai Tidak Tauliah Kanan daripada Batalion Malaysia 850-11 (MALBATT 850-11) Sarjan Faridah Abd Rahman dijangka dibawa pulang ke tanah air Rabu ini.
Pantau Agenda Reformasi: Helikopter terhempas – Kesan diplomasi susulan kematian Presiden Iran
Iran isytihar berkabung, Mokhber dilantik Presiden sementara
Ayatollah Khamenei menyatakan kesedihan mendalam atas pemergian Raisi dalam insiden tragis pada Ahad.
Portal UP_TVET mudahkan proses permohonan - Ahmad Zahid
Saluran permohonan untuk mengikuti kursus TVET kini dipermudahkan kepada satu saluran tunggal iaitu portal UP_TVET.
Fadillah, Elon Musk hadiri mesyuarat kepimpinan tertinggi Forum Air Dunia
Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof menyertai pemimpin dunia di mesyuarat kepimpinan tertinggi di Forum Air Dunia (WWF) ke-10.
Ceroboh Istana Negara, dua lelaki mengaku bersalah di mahkamah
Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa berkata kedua-dua lelaki tersebut telah mengaku bersalah atas pertuduhan di bawah Seksyen 447/511 Kanun Keseksaan.
Pusat Pemeriksaan Woodlands, Tuas dijangka sesak sempena cuti Wesak, sekolah
Penguasa Imigresen dan Pusat Pemeriksaan Singapura (ICA) menjangkakan "kesesakan lalu lintas yang tinggi" di Woodlands dan Tuas menjelang dan sepanjang tempoh cuti dari 21 Mei hingga 23 Jun.
Tenis Final ATP: Medvedev ke separuh akhir, Alcaraz catat kemenangan sulung
Daniil Medvedev muncul individu pertama melayakkan diri ke separuh akhir Final ATP di Turin dengan menewaskan Alexander Zverev.
Tenis Terbuka AS: Daniil Medvedev kejutkan Carlos Alcaraz untuk ke final
Daniil Medvedev mencipta kejutan dalam Kejohanan Tenis Terbuka Amerika Syarikat apabila menumbangkan juara bertahan Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic berdepan Alcaraz dalam perlawanan akhir perseorangan lelaki Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic menewaskan Jannik Sinner pada Jumaat dalam straight set untuk layak ke final Wimbledon kali kesembilan.
Kejohanan Tenis Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz sedia lunas dendam ke atas Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz tidak sabar untuk melunaskan dendamnya ke atas Novak Djokovic dalam Kejohanan Tenis Wimbledon.
Djokovic kembali nombor 1, Nadal terkeluar kelompok 100 teratas
Djokovic, 36, melonjak dua anak tangga dalam kedudukan selepas kemenangan di Paris pada hujung minggu lalu.
Terbuka Perancis: Gemuruh punca Carlos Alcaraz ditundukkan Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz mengakui masalah ketegangan yang dialaminya menjadi batu penghalangannya untuk melepasi rintangan Novak Djokovic.
Tenis Terbuka Barcelona: Carlos Alcaraz beri amaran awal tawan gelanggang tanah liat
Alcaraz meraih satu lagi kemenangan ke atas Stefanos Tsitsipas untuk kembali merangkul gelaran Terbuka Barcelona.
Tenis: Kecederaan ranapkan impian Carlos Alcaraz untuk terus beraksi musim ini
Berikutan kecederaan itu Alcaraz terpaksa menarik diri daripada Pusingan Akhir ATP dan Pusingan Akhir Piala Davis.
Tenis Terbuka AS: Alcaraz teruskan perebutan gelaran, ranking nombor satu dunia dengan Ruud
Carlos Alcaraz akan mencongak perhitungan dengan Casper Ruud bagi perebutan gelaran Kejohanan Tenis Terbuka Amerika Syarikat (AS).
Terbuka Hamburg: Musetti menang gelaran ATP pertama selepas atasi Alcaraz
Empat 'unforced error' yang dilakukan Alcaraz membantu Musetti memperoleh mata break seawal game pertama.