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Carlos Alcaraz upstaged record-chasing Novak Djokovic on Sunday to claim a maiden Wimbledon title. In this edition of Tuesday Trivia, we examine numbers from the final and the Spaniard’s fortnight at the All England Club.
Carlos Alcaraz putting paid to Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon ambition on Sunday was just what tennis needed.
Recent years have felt like a one-man show, with the Serbian dominating the competition and then some.
Djokovic’s Wimbledon ambition ended by Carlos Alcaraz
Djokovic was chasing a fifth consecutive and record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title on Sunday, an honour that would have taken him to 24 Grand Slam wins, matching Margaret Court’s record set since 1973.
The notion that the seven-time Wimbledon winner is a level or more ahead of the chasing pack seemed to be validated after claiming the opening set 6-1, just as he had done in the third and fourth sets in the annihilation of Alcaraz at Roland Garros in June.
Sunday’s second set went into a tiebreak, favouring Djokovic, who had notched 14 consecutive tie-break wins in Slams.
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The Mentality Monster had set point in the tiebreak to claim the opening two sets of the match and come within one of matching Roger Federer’s eight titles at the All England Club. However, Alcaraz had other ideas.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon recovery against Djokovic
The Spaniard saved a set point and won the subsequent two to level the match, claiming the tiebreak 8-6.
Alcaraz blew Djokovic to smithereens 6-1 in the third, but the 26-minute game was the turning point. Admittedly, the 20-year-old led the set 3-1 before that fifth game and was chasing a double break of the Djokovic serve.
Momentum shifts can be swift in tennis, and a hold of serve and multiple missed opportunities for Alcaraz could have turned the tide for the Serb in that set.
It took 13 deuces and seven break points in that half-hour game, but the challenger got the better of his more experienced opponent, who had fought tooth and nail to lead the final. What a turnaround.
Djokovic is not one to go down without a fight, and so it proved, with the 36-year-old levelling the match after claiming the fourth set 6-4. We were set for a deciding fifth.
The second game of that conclusive set proved decisive. Djokovic had a break point and was on the offensive during the play, but surprisingly struck the net with a volley that left him stock-still.
Alcaraz broke in the third game of the set and held his nerve to dethrone the 23-time Grand Slam winner, becoming the first man not named Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic or Andy Murray to claim the men’s singles title at The Championships since the Swiss won in 2003.
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We take stock of the Spaniard’s incredible fortnight.
The numbers behind Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon victory
- 9 – Alcaraz served nine aces to Djokovic’s two in the final.
- 7 – The Spaniard double-faulted on seven occasions on Sunday.
- 5 – Alcaraz broke the Djokovic serve five times in the 2023 final. In the fortnight leading up to the decider, the Serb lost only four service games.
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- 8 – Alcaraz ended Djokovic’s run of Grand Slam final victories after winning the first set. The seven-time Wimbledon champion had won eight deciders after claiming the opening set since the 2016 defeat at the hands of Stanislas Wawrinka.
- 3 – The 20-year-old won three sets against Djokovic in the final, more than the number the Serb lost all tournament. (Djokovic lost a set in his Fourth Round win over Hubert Hurkacz and against Andrey Rublev in the Quarterfinals).
- 66 – Alcaraz hit 66 winners against his more experienced opponent, 25 more than his previous high (41) against Third Round challenger Nicolas Jarry.
- 168 – Alcaraz won 168 points in the final to Djokovic’s 166. Incredible.
- 2195 – The talented Spaniard inflicted Djokovic’s first Wimbledon defeat in 2195 days. The Serb had not lost at The Championships since a quarterfinals defeat by Thomas Berdych in 2017.
- 2 – Alcaraz is the second-ever player and the first since Andy Murray in the 2012 US Open final to get the better of Djokovic in five sets in a Grand Slam decider.
- 3 – At 20 years and 72 days, Alcaraz is the third-youngest player in the Open Era to claim Wimbledon, ranking behind Boris Becker (17 years and 228 days), who won his maiden title in 1985 and Bjorn Borg (20 years and 27 days), whose triumph came in 1976.
- 3 – The latest Wimbledon champion defeated three top-10 opponents en route to his first title at the All England Club, matching Pete Sampras’ record from 1994. Alcaraz beat sixth-ranked Holger Rune in the quarters, Danil Medvedev (third) in the semis and Djokovic (second).
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