Novak Djokovic showed his true colours following a heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s Wimbledon final. Humble in defeat, the 37-year-old Serbian sensation was complimentary of his Spanish opponent’s skillset on Centre Court and praised his team, keeping his cool despite being denied his 25th Grand Slam trophy.
Alcaraz, 21, captured his second Grand Slam of the year after besting Djokovic on the courts, having previously reigned supreme at the French Open last month.
The two athletes gave spectators around the world a great showing from Wimbledon with Alcaraz taking home the title for the second year running after winning 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.
And while Djokovic will have been devastated to have missed out on the trophy after coming agonisingly close, he didn’t let emotions get the better of him after the game – showing a touch of class to his adversary on the microphone.
Speaking on Centre Court, Djokovic said: “He was definitely very hot today,” leading to an ovation from the crowd.
He added: “Obviously not the result I wanted and of course, especially the first couple of sets. The level of tennis that wasn’t up to par really from my side, but credit to Carlos for really playing some amazing tennis. Some really complete tennis from back on the court, serve, I mean he really had it all today.
“I tried to push him, save the three match points and extended the match a little bit – but it wasn’t meant to be. Really, he was an absolutely deserved winner today. So a huge congratulations to him for amazing tennis.
“And to his team, of course, to his team, Carlos and everyone, family; an amazing job you guys are doing obviously.
“You know, it’s kind of a one-man show when you’re on the court but there’s a big team of people around and family, and everything you have done so far – at only 21 years of age – is incredible. So keep it going, we’ll see a lot of you, I’m sure.”
While only a youngster, Alcaraz has racked up four Grand Slam titles to his name in his blossoming career – taking home the US Open in 2022, Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, and the French Open earlier this year.
Djokovic is 16 years his elder and looks to be winding down on a remarkable career of his own which has seen him accomplish Grand Slam success on 24 separate occasions.
The sensation has 10 Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledon wins and four US Opens to his name – and while he remains titleless in 2024 thus far, he will be hoping to make up for lost opportune when the final Grand Slam of the year returns Stateside in August.
Before then, he will also go for gold at the Olympic Games in Paris. A gold medal is the one major triumph that has eluded him in his illustrious career.
