Novak Djokovic says Carlos Alcaraz has earned the right to be regarded as the best in the world but admits he is frustrated with his missed opportunities during their marathon clash in the Wimbledon final.
Djokovic led the 20-year-old by a set and was a point from taking a two-set lead before falling in five. The defeat ended his bid to equal Roger Federer’s record for most men’s titles won at SW19, as well as his run of four consecutive victories at the event. On the other hand, it is a case of sweet revenge for Alcaraz who lost to the Serbian in their previous clash at the French Open.
“I have some regrets,” said Djokovic. “I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tiebreaker better.’
“The backhands kind of let me down, to be honest. Set point, I missed the backhand. He did play a backhand that was quite long in the court and had a little bit of a bad bounce. But I should not have missed that shot.’
“But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth.”
During the decider, it all got a bit too much for the 36-year-old who smashed his racket on the net post after getting broken. That was the second warning he received after being hit with a time violation whilst down 4-5 in the second set tiebreaker.
It has been 10 years and nine days since Djokovic last lost a match on Center Court which was to Andy Murray in 2013. Coincidentally Murray is also the only other person to have beaten him in five sets in a major final which was at the 2012 US Open.
Alcaraz’s triumph comes during what has been a remarkable run on the grass for him. Until this year he had never won a Tour-level match on the surface. Now he is on a 12-match winning streak which began at the Cinch Championships, commonly known as Queen’s.
“He surprised everyone how quickly he adapted to grass this year,” Djokovic commented.
“Queen’s helped him a lot. He was close to losing that first match. Then he started to gain momentum, more and more wins against really good players.’
“Wimbledon courts are slower than Aorangi courts or maybe Queen’s courts. It’s more suitable for I guess the baseliners like he is.’
“But I must say the slices, chipping returns and net play is very impressive. I didn’t expect him to play so well this year on grass, but he’s proven that he’s the best player in the world, no doubt.”
“He’s playing some fantastic tennis on different surfaces and he deserves to be where he is.”
Continuing his praise of the youngster, Djokovic says he stands out compared to anybody else. Quite a statement from somebody who is regarded as one of the greatest of all time and is a member of the Big Three. A trio that also includes Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest,” he said. “Roger and Rafa have their own strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”
Their head-to-head now stands at 2-1 in Alcaraz’s favour after he won their maiden meeting at the 2022 Madrid Open. Over the coming months, they will be battling for the No.1 ranking, as well as various titles. As for the US Open autumn, does Djokovic hope to get his revenge then?
“I hope we get to play at the US Open. I think it’s good for the sport if the 1 and 2 in the world face each other in almost a five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldn’t be better for our sport in general, so why not?” He concluded.
