Carlos Alcaraz became the first Spaniard since Rafael Nadal in 2010 to defend his Wimbledon men’s singles title on Sunday. The 21-year-old Alcaraz did so by beating the usually indomitable Novak Djokovic for a second consecutive time in the final at the All England Club as well. Alcaraz was on top throughout the match, slipping only when he reached his first championship point which allowed Djokovic to push the third set into a tie-breaker.
Alcaraz, though, kept his cool after that and won the match 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. Accolades flew in from around the world and there was a rather special one from India in the form of cricket great Sachin Tendulkar. “Abse tennis pe ek hi raj karega, woh hai Alcaraz (From now on there will be only one ruler in tennis, and that is Alcaraz),” Tendulkar said in his post on X
“Winning the @Wimbledon finals in straight sets against a world-class opponent is no joke. With that kind of speed, power, placement, and energy, it looks like it’s going to be Advantage @carlosalcaraz in the years to come. Hats off to @DjokerNole for his grace and the way he has conducted himself in victory and in defeat. For me that is the hallmark of a true sportsperson,” he further said.
Tendulkar has a long association with The Championships. The former India captain was invited to the Royal Box at Centre Court during Alexander Zverev’s third round win vs Cameron Norrie. Tendulkar received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd at Centre Court when he took some time off to enjoy a match. He was dressed in a beige-coloured suit, and could be seen waving his hands in acknowledgement after the crowd gave him a rousing welcome. He was not the only representative from the sport present that day though, with England captains Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler and former captain Joe Root also present in the Royal Box.
Alcaraz is only the sixth man to do the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same season and the first since Djokovic in 2021. Alcaraz hadn’t been at his best through this Wimbledon but come the big day, he was a beast. His serving was sublime, his forehand bullied the Serb and shot variety lit up the London evening. The only time Alcaraz looked fragile was when, from 40-0 serving for the title, he fluffed three championship points and got broken.
Moments like these tend to linger in the mind of youngsters but, again, Alcaraz showed why he’s no ordinary 21-year-old in the sport. Minutes later in the tiebreaker when the fourth championship point arrived, Alcaraz smiled. And served it out this time as Djokovic’s backhand return crashed into the net.
“I was seeing so far away,” Alcaraz said of his thoughts within touching distance of the finish line.