As Carlos Alcaraz pulled up at the Wimbledon champions’ dinner on Sunday, his mind could not have been further from thinking about
everything he had achieved throughout that day. After demolishing in straight sets to defend his title and working through his obligatory post-match duties, from press to anti-doping, Alcaraz prepared for the evening with an eye on Berlin, watching between a TV and a tablet.
In the courtyard of the old War Office buildings in Whitehall, now a Raffles hotel, the Spaniard and his team remained in their car. The final minutes of the Euro 2024 final were ticking down and Mikel Oyarzabal had scored a potential game-winner; he refused to leave until he was certain that the goal would stand. When Alcaraz finally entered the building he was led by a photographer to take pictures before the dinner began. Throughout that period, a phone that was streaming the game live was passed to Alcaraz’s team and back to him whenever possible. It’s only a matter of time before Carlos Alcaraz earns seat at table of legends
“Just before getting out of the car, I saw the goal so I thought it was offside,” Alcaraz said, laughing, during the dinner. “I couldn’t get out of the car until I made sure it was a goal. So it was a few minutes where the nerves were so high.”
The day ended exactly as Alcaraz hoped, combining with the national team to mark one of the most significant days in the history of Spanish sport. For Alcaraz, at least, there will surely be many of these days to come.
Over the past 19 years, Djokovic has won so many matches under unlikely circumstances; matches snatched from the brink of defeat, injuries dramatically overcome or bad form eradicated in the decisive moments. His aura is immense. With the Serb returning rapidly from meniscus knee surgery, this match was a litmus test for Alcaraz.
This was a chance for the world No 3 to show that the paradigm had truly shifted and that he now meets Djokovic as an equal, rather than a challenger as before. He made it clear that next time, if Djokovic wishes to beat him, he will have to show up on his best form, with top fitness levels and playing his best tennis. Nothing else will do.
The one-sidedness of Alcaraz’s triumph was brilliant enough, but when he gagged from triple championship point up at 5-4, 40-0, the manner with which he steadied the match and won the tie-break revealed even more about his character.
A year earlier, Alcaraz badly missed a drop shot on the opening point of his service game as he attempted to serve out for his first Wimbledon win against Djokovic. He responded by immediately attempting another drop shot, this one a winner, before blazing through the match. At 5-4 in the tie-break on Sunday, Alcaraz called back to that moment. Two service points away from the match, he was bold enough to slice the tension and set up championship point with another outrageous drop shot winner.
