Carlos Alcaraz believes his five-set triumph over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon could help inspire the new generation of men’s tennis to step up their game.
The 20-year-old Spaniard ousted Djokovic to win his second Grand Slam title after the US Open last year. In doing so he has become the third-youngest player to win Wimbledon and only the fifth player in the Open Era to have won multiple major trophies before the age of 21.
His clash with Djokovic was very much a battle of the generations with Alcaraz and others such as Holger Rune hoping to fill in the void left by the Big Three in the future. Although the No.1 says his focus throughout the final was solely on himself.
“I did it for myself, not for the tennis generation,” he said during his press conference. “It was great. Beating Novak at his best, on this stage making history and being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me. It’s something that I will never forget, that’s for sure.’
“It’s great for the new generation, as well, I think to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable of doing it, as well. It’s great for me and I think for the young players.”
Alcaraz’s emotions are a stark contrast to what he felt after playing Djokovic earlier this year. In the semi-finals of the French Open, he got off to an impressive start before rapidly fading away. He was also hampered by cramping during that match, as well as nerves.
So how has he managed to turn it around on the grass? He attributes part of his success to the work he has done on the metal side of his game. Following his semi-final win over Daniil Medvedev on Friday, he said he would be conducting ‘mental exercises’ before the final. Although he didn’t specify what they were.
Since 2020 he has been working with psychologist Isabel Balaguer who is a professor of special psychology at Valencia University and an honorary research fellow at Birmingham University in the UK.
“I am a different player than the French Open. I grew up a lot since that moment and I learned a lot from that moment.” He reflected.
“I prepared a little bit differently mentally before the match so I could deal with the pressure and the nerves better than I did at the French Open.’
“I think it was the mental part that allowed me to stay there during the five sets.”
It appears that the skies are the limit for Alcaraz and his future in the sport. Only time will tell to see how many major titles he will win. But for now, he is more than happy to just live in the moment.
“Right now it is the happiest moment of my life. Probably in five years, it will change,” he said with a smile.
“I’m 20, I haven’t experienced too many situations like this, so I’m going to enjoy this moment. Making history that I did. Beating Novak and winning Wimbledon is something that I dream about since I started playing tennis. That’s why this is the biggest moment of my life.”
Alcaraz has now won six titles this season. Over the past 40 years, the only players to have won six or more titles than him at a younger age within the same year were Andre Agassi in 1988 and Rafael Nadal in 2005.
