Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz wins second Wimbledon title
Young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has already become a big name in the world of tennis in his brief stay at the top of the sport. He has won major titles at a faster rate than all but a few 21-year-olds in history, and he has only scratched the surface of his potential. With each new victory, he moves closer to becoming the dominant power in the sport.
A year after snatching the Wimbledon title from Novak Djokovic’s grip in five breathless sets, Alcaraz delivered an astonishing performance under duress to defeat the seven-time champion Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) and win Wimbledon for the second year in a row.
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Alcaraz becomes sixth player to win French Open and Wimbledon in the same year
With this triumph, Alcaraz became only the sixth player to win the men’s titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, a feat called as the “Channel Slam”. This is also Alcaraz’s first grand slam championship defense, and it is the first time he has won several slam titles in the same year.
“It’s a huge honour for me to be part of those players who have achieved Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year,” Alcaraz said of matching Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic. “Really glad to be in the same table as Novak to do it. Huge champions; I don’t consider myself a champion yet, not as them, but I try to keep going, to keep building my path, my journey.”
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Alcaraz overcame recent injury to come out victorious
Over the last two months, Alcaraz has dealt with a forearm injury that hampered his Roland Garros training, a difficult surface transition from clay to grass, and the growing physical and mental exhaustion that comes with playing deep in tournaments. Nevertheless, he managed to win both championships. In the future years, he will become more accustomed to winning under any circumstances.
Novak Djokovic heaps praise on the Champion
After the Princess of Wales presented both players with their trophies in her second public appearance since disclosing her cancer diagnosis, Djokovic made his consolation speech with trademark grace.
“Credit to Carlos for really playing some amazing tennis, very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve,” Djokovic said. “He had everything today. I attempted to push him, save three match points, and stretch the game a little bit, but it wasn’t to be. He was a really deserving winner tonight, so congrats.”
