Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz cemented his status as a dominant force in the sport by outclassing 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the Centre Court in London on Sunday (July 14). Alcaraz’s aggressive play left Djokovic struggling to keep up.
It was a rematch of last year’s championship match on the grass of the All England Club, which Alcaraz won in five sets.
This one played in front of a Centre Court crowd that included Kate, the Princess of Wales, in a rare public appearance since announcing she has cancer was much easier for Alcaraz, at least until he stumbled while holding three match points as he served for the victory at 5-4 in the third set.
Still, Alcaraz regrouped and eventually picked up a second major trophy in a row after last month’s triumph on the clay at the French Open.
The Spaniard won his first Slam title at the 2022 US Open as a teenager, and no man ever has collected more Slam hardware before turning 22 than he has.
He improved to 4-0 in major finals.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, wearing a gray sleeve on his surgically repaired right knee, was denied in his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and record 25th major overall. He tore his meniscus at Roland Garros on June 3 and had an operation in Paris two days later.
Less than six weeks later, Djokovic was hardly at his best on Sunday and Alcaraz certainly had something to do with that.