Novak Djokovic conceded some of his status as a tennis champion after being overwhelmed by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.
Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spanish whiz-kid, defended his title with a 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win – his second straight victory over Djokovic in the SW19 showpiece. He also became the sixth man in the Open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, leaving Djokovic shell-shocked with his level of play.
37-year-old Djokovic entered the tournament just weeks after undergoing knee surgery and produced a remarkable effort to make it to the final.
“If someone told me I would play Wimbledon finals three, four weeks ago, I would take it for sure,” Djokovic said.
Alcaraz said it was “amazing” and “unbelievable” what Djokovic had done over the fortnight, describing his opponent as “superman.”
“I did all I can to prepare myself for this match and the tournament in general,” Djokovic said. However, it was clear that his efforts fell short against his younger opponent. “Today I saw that I was just, as I said, half a step behind him in every sense. That’s the reality I have to accept at the moment.”
Alcaraz was not the only player Djokovic felt he was behind; in a statement, Djokovic also mentioned the talented 22-year-old Jannik Sinner as a high-level competitor.
“Both of them are the best this year by far, I feel like I’m not at that level,” said 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic. Between Alcaraz and Sinner, they have won all three of this year’s Grand Slam tournaments.
Yet to win a title this year, it has been Djokovic’s worst start to a season since 2006.
“Just overall the way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court,” Djokovic said in his news conference.
Despite feeling that his recent performances don’t match those of Sinner or Alcaraz, Djokovic has no plans to slow down. He is planning to compete for Serbia at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, hoping to win a gold medal—the only major title missing from his extensive trophy collection.
“Hopefully I can find the right tennis because I’m going to need all I have and more to go to the final of the Olympic Games,” Djokovic said.
Every time I walk on to Centre Court, I am filled with such gratitude that I am living out my childhood dream. Thank you to my entire team, partners, family, friends and #nolefam for all of your support throughout the last few weeks. Onwards.
Felicidades, @carlosalcaraz. Well… pic.twitter.com/3Q44pHnK96
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 14, 2024
