Following a disappointing performance at the French Open, Novak Djokovic, 36, from Serbia, and Carlos Alcaraz, 20, from Spain finally faced off at Wimbledon in the exciting match that tennis fans had been eagerly anticipating. In the end, Alcaraz emerged as the victor after a thrilling four-and-a-half-hour battle, winning the title with a score of 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
Before this epic showdown, which marked Djokovic’s 35th career Grand Slam final and Alcaraz’s second, Djokovic had only lost two sets in this tournament and a total of five sets in all Grand Slams this year. A win would have made Djokovic the third man in the Open Era to secure five consecutive titles at the All England Club, alongside Björn Borg and Roger Federer. Additionally, Djokovic was hoping to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 singles titles and Federer’s record of eight championships at Wimbledon. However, his loss against Alcaraz marked his first defeat at Wimbledon since his final against Andy Murray in 2013.
The match attracted a notable audience, including Murray, Brad Pitt, Jonathan Bailey, Ariana Grande, Andrew Garfield, Zawe Ashton, Tom Hiddleston, Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Hugh Jackman, Deborra-Lee Furness, King Felipe VI of Spain, and members of Britain’s royal family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte, who sported a cute pair of pink sunglasses.
The weather in London was cloudy and mild, with a slight breeze that affected the movement of the ball, but not enough to warrant closing the roof over Centre Court as was done during the women’s final the previous day. Despite some earlier rain, which made the grass slightly slippery and resulted in both players taking a few falls, the quality of play was exceptional after a shaky start in the first set, which Djokovic dominated with a score of 6-1.
In the second set, Alcaraz held his first service game and secured an early break. Djokovic managed to break back and, after a 29-shot rally in the fourth game, he held his serve, leveling the score at 2-2. This intense back-and-forth continued until the players reached a tiebreak, which Alcaraz won 8-6, concluding an 85-minute set.