World number one Carlos Alcaraz ended Novak Djokovic’s hopes of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam to claim his maiden Wimbledon title in a five-set epic, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 at the All-England Club on Sunday.
The young Spaniard looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from a nervous start to take a two-sets-to-one lead, only for Djokovic to show once again his remarkable powers of resilience.
It was he who appeared in the ascendancy at the start of the fifth set but back came 20-year-old Alcaraz to claim victory after four hours and 43 minutes, finally landing a meaningful blow for the young guns against the man 16 years his senior.
Alcaraz slumped to the court after Djokovic’s final forehand dropped into the net before sharing a long embrace with the vanquished Serb. Djokovic, looking to win an eighth title and a fifth in a row, raced away with the opener 6-1 in 34 minutes.
Alcaraz was unable to cope with Djokovic’s tactical awareness with the Serb making just two unforced errors to take early control of the match. The Spaniard’s nerves seemed to settle at the start of the second set and he broke the Djokovic serve to lead 2-0.
But Djokovic, appearing in a record 35th Grand Slam final, broke straight back and a high-calibre set went to a tiebreak. The 36-year-old had won his previous 14 tie-breaks at Grand Slams, but Alcaraz finally put an end to the streak by taking it 8-6 with a stunning return of serve to level the match. (C.D)