STILL CHAMP. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after scoring during the men's singles final between him and Novak Djokovic of Serbia at Wimbledon tennis Championship in London, Britain, July 14, 2024. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4). (Xinhua/Han Yan)
LONDON – Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets to defend the men's singles title at the Wimbledon Championships here on Sunday.
It's a repeat of the 2023 showpiece as the Spaniard youngster defeated the Serbian veteran in five sets to lift his maiden Wimbledon title.
A 14-minute-long opening game saw Djokovic broken in the fifth breaking point and the 37-year-old couldn't find a way to come back before losing to Alcaraz 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).
"He was the better player from the beginning till the end," said the seven-time Wimbledon champion, Djokovic. "I tried to fight my way in the third and come back, saving three match points, extending really the match a little bit. But I guess it was inevitable for him to win today because he was just coming out on the court with a better quality tennis. It's as simple as it is."
Alcaraz broke in the 10th game in the third set and held three championship points in the next game. 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic managed to drag the match to tiebreak, but couldn't hold off a fearsome Alcaraz to clinch his fourth Grand Slam title at the age of 21.
The Spaniard also became only the sixth man in the Open era to win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back the same year.
"Obviously it's a really great start of my career, but I have to keep going. I have to keep building my path," Alcaraz said. "At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys." (Xinhua)
