Alcaraz repeats as Wimbledon champion, this time in much easier fashion against Djokovic

With the same two players on the court, the 2024 Wimbledon final did not live up to the standard set by the 2023 festivities.

Carlos Alcaraz won’t be complaining.

Alcaraz, who beat Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller to capture the title last summer, won the rematch in much more routine fashion. The Spaniard secured his fourth Grand Slam title by cruising 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) in two hours and 27 minutes on Sunday afternoon.

“It is a great feeling,” Alcaraz assured. “It was a great match for me. Obviously Novak didn’t play his best the first two sets–a lot of mistakes. I made the most of that.”

That’s an understatement.

Alcaraz capitalized on Djokovic’s slow start in a major way. The 21-year-old set the done in the opening game on the Serb’s serve, which resulted in seven deuces, five break points for Alcaraz, and three game points for Djokovic. Alcaraz eventually won it–and with it was off to the races. In fact, he dropped just four total games in the first two sets.

The world No. 3 did not surrender his serve a single time in those two sets and for almost the entire way it looked like he would never get broken. In the most improbably fashion, that changed when Alcaraz served for the championship at 5-4 in the third. Leading 40-0, he squandered triple-championship point–complete with a double-fault and a missed swinging forehand volley that undoubtedly should have been put away. Amazingly enough, Djokovic broke back to stay alive.

Nonetheless, the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s comeback was short-lived. Alcaraz steadied himself and had little trouble getting the job one in the ensuing tiebreaker.

“Huge congrats to Carlos,” Djokovic said during his post-match press conference. “(He) deserved this win today; he was the better player from the beginning ’til the end. I tried to fight my way in the third and come back, saving three match points, extending the match a little bit. But I guess it was inevitable for him to win today because he was just coming out on the court with a better quality tennis. It’s as simple as it is.

“(Last year) I lost in an epic five-set match [in which] we went toe-to-toe. This year it was nothing like that. It was all about him. He was the dominant force on the court.”

The rankings may not reflect it right now (Jannik Sinner is No. 1 and Djokovic is No. 2), but Alcaraz has been the dominant force on tour this spring and summer. He is also now only the sixth man to accomplish the “Channel Double” (winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon) double in the same year.

“It is a great feeling even thinking about being French Open winner and Wimbledon champion the same year, that few players [have done] before,” Alcaraz commented. “It’s unbelievable.

“I’ve seen and I’ve heard all the stats that I am the youngest to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon the same year. Obviously it’s a really great start of my career, but I have to keep going.”

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.