Carlos Alcaraz was rampant yesterday, as he brushed aside Novak Djokovic in straight sets to defend his Wimbledon crown.
The Spaniard was widely expected to win the event, but to do it with such ease shocked many.
His shot-making was phenomenal, and even the best returner in the history of the sport could not compete with his much-improved serves.
Nothing went Djokovic’s way, whilst everything Alcaraz touched turned to gold.
However, this success was nothing to do with fortune. It had been predetermined by the work put in before the match even started.
Carlos Alcaraz reveals the main weapon which beat Novak Djokovic
Speaking to Wimbledon’s official website after his triumph in the final, Alcaraz was unsurprisingly humble in his assessment of the clash.
After all, if he was to give a truly honest rundown, it would have been pretty brutal for Djokovic.
The Serbian simply didn’t show up, whilst his 21-year-old opponent was relentless.
There were a few facets of the youngster’s game that were particularly on-form, as he stunned on a sun-kissed centre court, and he would actually reveal what he focused on most in his preparation for the final which he put to good effect whilst neutralising Djokovic.
He claimed: ‘The first match I had a really poor serve game, so I knew that I had to be better on that. The days off I was practising the serve, I was really focusing on the serve to be better, and I think it got better in every match that was played. I was really glad I had this serve game today, as it was really the main weapon I put in today’s match. I was really pleased about it.
‘I have to keep improving everything I guess, before I can be at this level, I think it can be better. Every year should be better. I think my game in general can improve.’
Novak Djokovic’s attention now turns to the Olympics
Having impressed just getting to the final, even if his straight-sets defeat marked a huge blow, attention must now turn from Wimbledon to the Olympics for Djokovic.
After all, he cannot afford to remain too hung up on this disappointment, especially given there were fears that he might not even play in SW19, let alone mount a title charge.
His physical prowess and powers of recovery are notoriously superhuman, but even he stunned the world with how he returned to fitness from surgery on a torn meniscus in less than a month.
A win at Wimbledon would have cemented Djokovic’s legacy for many reasons, as not only would he have equalled Roger Federer’s tally of eight titles, but he would have also become the most successful Grand Slam winner in all of tennis.
However, he fell at the last hurdle, with Nick Kyrgios left stunned by Djokovic and his underperformance on the biggest stage.
However, the Olympics offers a fresh and final chance to make a different kind of history, adding the last piece of silverware to his trophy cabinet.
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