Carlos Alcaraz is once again a Wimbledon champion, but the manner in which he became it was far easier than last year.
He crushed Novak Djokovic on a centre court bathed in sunshine, and was good value for his win, 2-6, 2-6, 6-7.
That final set showcased signs of life in the 37-year-old, but by that point, it was too little too late, even if he did break the defending champion as he served for the match.
In the end, it proved inconsequential, but to expel that failure from his mind took some real steel from Carlos Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz reveals his thoughts after Championship points missed
Conducting his post-match interview on court, Alcaraz was beaming from ear to ear. Although, there was no change there.
He always brings energy and joy, and regardless of whether he wins or loses the point, happiness follows him.
But, after just retaining his Wimbledon title, cruising to victory over Djokovic, he has every right to smile that little bit more today.
However, he nearly had that grin wiped from his face when he saw three Championship points melt away as he served for the match. Only after a comprehensive tiebreak did he finally convert the fourth, expelling the demons of the imminent past.
He then told centre court: ‘It was 40-0 but it seemed so far away. Djokovic is an unbelievable fighter and I knew he was going to have his chances again, so I had to stay there. I tried to win the point with the serve but I couldn’t.
‘It was difficult for me, I tried to stay calm and positive in that situation and going into the tiebreak tried to play my best tennis. That’s all I was thinking about. Really glad in the end I could find the solutions and happy to be in this situation.’
Carlos Alcaraz could surpass Novak Djokovic
Alcaraz has won the first four Grand Slam finals that he has competed in, and has only just turned 21.
What he is doing is almost as superhuman as what Djokovic is doing at his age, having already broken all manner of records, with plenty more almost certain to fall down in his wake.
The Spaniard is sensational, and is as much an entertainer as he is a proficient, cutthroat, stone-cold killer. He put a legendary figure to the sword today on arguably one of the biggest stages in all of tennis, thundering into a two-set lead before coming through in a third-set tiebreaker to claim the trophy.
Retaining his Wimbledon crown is impressive enough, but having also won Roland Garros last month, he will have his eyes set on snatching back the US Open title from his elder adversary too.
After all, Nick Kyrgios couldn’t believe one thing Djokovic did during his defeat today, which does not bode well for his imminent future.
This young superstar is proving to be a bit of a thorn in the side of the Serbian, and with the Olympics just around the corner, and plenty more Grand Slams due in his career, Alcaraz may well finish his career with even more titles than the amount set by this monumental ageing monster.
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