WIMBLEDON, England — For years, many in men’s tennis wondered who could replace the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal atop the sport once they inevitably retire. Together, they have collectively dominated on and off the court, with 66 major titles and superstar personas.
With such big shoes to fill, it seemed unlikely to think anyone would be up for such a challenge. At least not yet.
But on Sunday, just weeks after winning the trophy at the French Open, 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz proved yet again he was the man for the job, as he defeated Djokovic for the second straight year in the Wimbledon final. And while the 2023 final had been a classic, lasting nearly five hours as the two traded highlight-reel-worthy points and momentum, the 2024 edition was a relatively straightforward affair, with Alcaraz asserting his dominance from the very first game and never letting up. By the end of the 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) match that lasted just two hours and 27 minutes, Alcaraz had secured the fourth major title of his career in front of an adoring Centre Court crowd.
After holding off Djokovic in a last-ditch tiebreak and winning the match on his fourth championship point, Alcaraz held his arms up in celebration as the fans jumped to their feet. In a stadium which contained actual royalty in the stands, it seemed to be a coronation for Alcaraz as tennis’ next king.
Even Djokovic, the 24-time major champion, who insisted he had no plans to retire anytime soon, called Alcaraz, “the best player of the tournament without a doubt,” during the news conference Sunday.
With the victory, Alcaraz is now the third-youngest man in the Open era to win four Grand Slam singles titles, trailing only Mats Wilander and Bjorn Borg. His 4-0 record moves him behind only Federer (7-0) as the best record among men in their first major finals, and he joins the Big Three as well as Borg and Rod Laver as the only men to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.
Among active male players, Alcaraz trails just Djokovic (24) and Nadal (22) for the most major singles titles, and he is now ahead of Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka (each with three). And Sunday’s triumph seemed to signify more than just another trophy for Alcaraz to those watching.
“Love Djokovic,” tweeted Nick Kyrgios, the injured former world No. 13…
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