| Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July |
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Novak Djokovic said his Wimbledon final loss to Carlos Alcaraz was a “tough one to swallow” but he will “move on”.
The feeling of lifting a runner-up trophy he had watched his opponents hold in the past four Wimbledons hit him hard as the tears then flowed.
The mangled racquet next to his chair was a reminder of the frustration he had taken out on the net post after the key break of serve in the fifth set.
“It hurts,” he said after a chance at record-equalling eighth title ended.
Djokovic, 36, had been seeking to draw level with Roger Federer for men’s singles wins here and with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles but came up short against 20-year-old world number one Alcaraz.
The Spaniard won 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 to seal a second major title, beating Djokovic in brilliant fashion on a Centre Court where the Serb has dominated for so long.
Not since 2013 had Djokovic lost on the All England Club’s main court – when Andy Murray beat him for the title – and the Briton was in the crowd to see the Serb’s run ended.
“It’s a tough one to swallow when you are so close,” he said. “I lost to the better player and I have to congratulate him and move on.”
As he did at the 2021 US Open after a bid to win all four Grand Slams in a year was ended by Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic became tearful here.
Addressing his young son in his box, Djokovic covered his eyes as his voice broke while saying: “It’s nice to see my son still there, still smiling. I love you, thank you for supporting me and we can all have a big hug, and love each other.”
Then addressing Alcaraz, who won the US Open on hard courts last year and reached the French Open semi-finals this year before cramping hampered him against Djokovic, he said: “I thought I’d only have trouble with you on clay or hard court, not grass.”
Four years ago Djokovic saved two match points against fellow great Federer in a thrilling match and it may well have been this that he was thinking of when he said: “I’ve won some epic finals that I was very close to losing. Maybe this is kind of a fair-and-square deal I guess to lose a match like this for me here.”
He still has plenty of chances to chase records, with the US Open less than two months away and offering his next opportunity of that 24th major.
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