LONDON – Carlos Alcaraz ended Novak Djokovic’s remarkable Wimbledon success run when he fought to a stunning 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 triumph for a first title at the grass court grand slam and second at the major, reported German news agency (dpa).
Alcaraz, 20, regrouped from a poor first set and saved a set point in the second to win a sensational battle of the tennis generations against his 36-year-old opponent in four hours 42 minutes on first match point.
Alcaraz became the third-youngest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era which started in 1968, behind Boris Becker (17) and Björn Borg (2-0), under the eyes of Spanish King Felipe VI who was in attendance. He retained the world No. 1 position ahead of Djokovic.
Djokovic missed what would have been a record-tying five Wimbledon titles in a row, eight overall there and 24 at all grand slams in his first Wimbledon centre court defeat since 2013. The loss in a record 35th major final also ended his bid for a calendar year grand slam. – Bernama, July 17, 2023
