Wimbledon crowns a new champion and the world is a better place for it. Carlos Alcaraz wasn't even born the last time someone other than Federer (8), Djokovic (7), Murray (2) or Nadal (2) had won the most famous lawn tennis tournament. The trivia answer is Lleyton Hewitt. Yet, here was Djokovic breaking down as his chance of tying Federer for most Wimbledon championships slipped away from him. Of course, Novak rebounded quickly to congratulate young Carlos, but he couldn't help slipping in that little bit about seeing himself in the young Spanish player.
The funny thing about the finals match is that Carlos looked like the one in full control, timing his approaches to the net well and sealing key games with a great volley when he needed it. By comparison, Novak rushed the net out of desperation with Carlos floating lobs over his head or passing him with devastating groundstrokes. For all of Novak's great gifts, playing the net is not one of them. That's why I don't consider him anywhere near as great as Federer, who had perhaps the most complete game in tennis. No matter, this was Carlos' day and he earned the win with remarkable poise for a 20 year old.
What's so amazing about the young Spaniard's win is that just a month ago he cramped up on his favorite surface, losing a semi-final match to Djokovic at the French Open. Carlos never had really played on grass before other than storming through the draw at the Queen's tournament to ready himself for Wimbledon. He adapted his game so quickly that he struck terror in the eyes of his opponents, even Novak who time and again found himself coming up short in key rallies.
It's long past time for a changing of the guard in tennis. Carlos leads a pack of young talented players from all over the world, including two young Americans, Frances Tiafoe and Chris Eubanks, who came from unlikely tennis backgrounds to vault themselves into the Top 30. It was 2000 when Pete Sampras last won Wimbledon, and 2003 the last time an American won a grand slam event with Andy Roddick taking the US Open. One shouldn't hold one's breath though, as the top young players are predominantly European. Carlos considers Italian Jannik Sinner his major rival.
There's no longer much talk of Djokovic reaching 30 grand slam titles. Djokovic has already defied expectations by winning 11 grand slams past the age of 31. With so much rising talent, he will be lucky if he wins any more major titles. He can lay claim to the GOAT with his current 23 titles, but many are now questioning his greatness. A lot of it comes down to timing. Nadal has been absent from the tour for more than a year after taking the Australian and French Opens in 2022, giving him 22 titles. He has tumbled all the way down to 140 in the ATP rankings and it is doubtful he will even return to the game. Nadal has been plagued with injuries throughout his career, missing out on many grand slam opportunities.
Among those who have played in 16 or more Grand Slam finals, Pete Sampras (retiring at 31) has an astonishing 14-4 record giving him the best win-loss percentage. Nadal is second with a 22-8 record, Borg is third with an 11-5 record (retiring at 26), Djokovic is fourth with a 23-12 record and a trail of broken rackets. What Djokovic has going for him is a remarkable durability, which he claims is the result of a strict diet and conditioning, but you have to figure its pretty tough for a 36 year old to compete against 20 year olds in this game no matter how healthy he eats.
If he were smart he would retire at the end of the year, especially if he is able to cap his remarkable career with a win at the US Open, like Pete Sampras did back in 2002. It is doubtful anyone will touch his 23 or possibly 24 grand slam titles anytime soon. However, one gets the feeling Djokovic wants immortality and will continue to play long past his expiration date much like Jimmy Connors did. Jimmy didn't retire until 43! I suppose as long as you remain competitive why not?
Anyway, we will finally be hearing about new names in tennis with Carlos at the top of the list. Right now he seems unbeatable!
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