Novak Djokovic was far from his best against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, but there were a few factors hampering his efforts.
After all, having only had surgery on his knee the month earlier, his fitness was quite clearly compromised, as the outstanding issue he faced.
It had gotten him through the earlier rounds against lesser opposition, but it would not be enough against the young four-time Grand Slam champion.
Not only that, but he just simply came up against an inspired Carlos Alcaraz on the day, that even at full fitness he would have struggled to beat.
So, to see such dominance in a Wimbledon final shocked most, and yet when Juan Carlos Ferrero outlined it after the match, some fans were not happy.
Novak Djokovic fans fume at Juan Carlos Ferrero’s comments
Speaking after his player’s emphatic Wimbledon final victory over Novak Djokovic, in which Alcaraz won in straight sets, Ferrero did not hold back in his assessment of the match.
He spoke about domination, and his surprise at the 37-year-old failing to show up.
It is these comments that have sparked backlash as he noted: ‘I was a little surprised by Djokovic’s level today. I think he felt outclassed from the start. It was hard for him to keep up with Carlos’ pace and ball speed. It’s true that last year he was better, maybe this year, not being at 100%, it was a little harder for him.’
Djokovic’s fan base have reacted accordingly…
The person who started this furore, reposting the article with the comments, would then write: ‘I’d like to see Ferrero play 4 weeks after surgery. Serious lack of class from him.’
Another commenter suggested that Djokovic and his team would never have done something so allegedly insulting, claiming: ‘Noles team would never talk like that about an opponent that lost to Nole ever, they have class and respect unlike Ferrero.’
Carlos Alcaraz did win Wimbledon quite comfortably
Whilst it may come across as a little harsh, Juan Carlos’ comments are hard to argue with.
Obviously, what Djokovic did across that fortnight was superhuman.
Just to turn up and play at Wimbledon marked a ridiculous feat of physical prowess, but to dispatch all in his path on his way to the final… truly legendary stuff.
However, when faced with Alcaraz, he simply did not have the answers, and his game plan, likely spurred on by the knowledge that he would not be able to compete physically with the 21-year-old, was all wrong.
His efforts at the net were disappointing, and in the end he was well beaten by the better man on the day.
Just as Djokovic fans fumed at Rafael Nadal’s comments about how Federer and Djokovic were the main hard-court threats, a notion that in the end proved to be a fair comment, so too are these ones from Alcaraz’s coach.
Not everything is a dig at the Serbian. His greatness can also be recognised whilst coming under scrutiny as well.
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