By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, August 1, 2023
When Novak Djokovic blew Carlos Alcaraz out in the opening set of the Wimbledon final, some saw inevitability.
Watching the final, Grigor Dimitrov saw possibility.
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Former Wimbledon semifinalist Dimitrov said he’s not surprised Alcaraz rallied for an epic five-set victory to dethrone defending champion Djokovic and win Wimbledon.
That’s because Dimitrov was convinced Alcaraz would assert his aggression in the final.
“[I’m] not really [surprised], in a sense that, I mean, I have played Carlos two or three times already,” Dimitrov told the media after his Mubadala Citi DC Open win over Mackenzie McDonald. “In a way, I knew what he’s going to do. You know, he doesn’t pull back in important points.
“In important moments he plays his game, and that type of play gets rewarded more than not. I think, as I said, the big points, like the pivotal points throughout the match, I think he played them absolutely amazing.”
World No. 20 Dimitrov, who lost to Alcaraz in the Queen’s Club quarterfinals weeks before his Wimbledon triumph, said despite Djokovic winning six of the first seven games, he believed Alcaraz was employing the right tactics and would turn it around.
“Me, as a player, I saw things a little bit early on. I felt that, I mean, even after I saw the score in the first set, I just felt like, you know, Alcaraz was on it,” Dimitrov said. “I mean, for me, it’s very interesting to watch a match from that caliber to kind of see what both of the players are doing on the big points. For me, I was the most curious in that.
“So to give all the credit clearly to Alcaraz to come up with such big plays and such big points from such an importance, I think that was pretty amazing to see.”
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
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