Novak Djokovic paid a beautiful tribute to his wife and kids after seeing his chance at creating more tennis history brutally ended by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic was bidding for the second year in a row to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight titles at the All England Club, but was once again denied by Alcaraz – this time in a demoralising straight sets thrashing.
In a repeat of the 2023 Wimbledon decider that went to a nailbiting five sets, Alcaraz blew Djokovic off the court this time around, sealing a 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win for his fourth grand slam singles title. Victory saw the 21-year-old Spaniard become the youngest man in the Open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year and in doing so, denied Djokovic a 25th major title that would have seen him surpass the all-time record he shares with Margaret Court.
Djokovic’s run to the Wimbledon final was extremely impressive considering he underwent surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee last month that left his participation in the tournament in serious doubt. And the Serb admitted after the final that he simply didn’t have the answers to the all-round brilliance of Alcaraz, whose mixture of deft drop shots, perfect volleys and thunderous forehand winners was described as the “perfect performance” from Aussie great Pat Cash.
“Credit to Carlos for playing elite tennis, especially from the back of the court. He had it all today,” Djokovic said in his runner-up speech. “It obviously was not the result I wanted, but of course in the first couple of sets the level of tennis wasn’t up to par from my side. It wasn’t meant to be. I tried to extend the match, but he was an absolute deserved winner today so congratulations for him.”
Djokovic was all class in his runner-up speech but there was a a moment when he turned his attention towards wife Jelena and children Stefan and Tara, that was particularly moving. “To my wife, I love you. Thank you for supporting me and being with me here,” an emotional Djokovic said.
“To my wonderful children Tara and Stefan, thank you for bringing a smile to my face every single day. I keep on tearing every single year when I look at them at the closing ceremony, but it’s so incredible to have them. I’m so thankful to be a father to these two little angels that love tennis. They’ve started to love tennis more and more.”
The Serb then joked that his nerves might not to able to take son Stefan following him into a career in tennis, in another lovely moment for the 37-year-old father-of-two. “I don’t know if I have the nerves to keep on going with the coaching career to my son. There are a lot of beautiful things in life, son. Tennis is not the only thing, but if you really wish to pursue it, I’ll be there for you.”
Alcaraz set the tone right from the off after winning a 14-minute, seven-deuce opening game, before breaking Djokovic at the fifth attempt. Djokovic seemed flat and had few answers to Alcaraz, who hit 42 winners throughout the match, from drops shots to forehand bullets. The Spaniard’s impressive court coverage also helped to suffocate the 24-time major winner.
The victory continues the Spaniard’s incredible 100% record in grand slam finals, with Alcaraz now four from four and standing alongside tennis greats Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander with four major trophies before the age of 22. “Obviously it’s a really great start of my career but I have to keep building my path,” Alcaraz said afterwards.
“At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys. That’s my dream right now. I don’t know what is my limit. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to keep enjoying my moment, just to keep dreaming. So let’s see if at the end of my career (if) it’s going to be 25, 30, 15, four.”
