Carlos Alcaraz won his fourth major championship Sunday after beating Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 in the men’s Wimbledon final.
It was a rematch of last year’s championship match on the grass of the All England Club, which Alcaraz won in five sets.
This one was much easier for Alcaraz, at least until he stumbled while holding three match points as he served for the victory at 5-4 in the third set.
Still, Alcaraz regrouped and eventually picked up a second major trophy in a row after last month’s triumph on the clay at the French Open.
The Spaniard won his first Slam title at the 2022 U.S. Open as a teenager, and no man ever has collected more Slam hardware before turning 22 than he has.
He improved to 4-0 in major finals.
Djokovic was seeking his eighth Wimbledon title, which would have equaled Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon titles by a man at the grass-court major. The win would have also given the 37-year-old 25 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other player in tennis history.
It was only a little more than a month ago that Djokovic had surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee after getting injured during the French Open.
“Especially in the first couple of sets, the level of tennis wasn’t really up to par on my side,” said Djokovic, whose two children were in his guest box. “He had it all today. I tried to push him. … It wasn’t meant to be.”
In attendance on Sunday was Catherine, the Princess of Wales, who made a rare appearance with her daughter Charlotte in the Royal Box at Centre Court. Kate, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, has been the patron of the All England Club since 2016, with ceremonial duties that include handing out the winner’s trophy after each men’s and women’s singles final.
Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon women’s final on Saturday.