Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates beating Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles final tennis match on the last day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 16, 2023. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / Getty Images)
Throughout the nearly five-hour match, both stars showed why they were respectively ranked No. 1 (Alcaraz) and No. 2 (Djokovic) in the world, remaining in points that their peers could not and keeping physical and mental resolve befitting of the game’s best.
There was plenty of history on the line for Djokovic, who would have tied the all-time record for major singles titles (24) and Wimbledon titles (eight). But on the Centre Court grass, Alcaraz shoved experience to the side.
“I lost to a better player and have to move on — stronger, hopefully,” Djokovic said.
After falling decidedly in the first set of the match, Alcaraz stormed back and won an 8-6 tiebreaker in the following set and broke Djokovic’s streak of 14 consecutive tiebreaks won. His efforts continued through the third set, a 6-1 victory, which included a nearly 27-minute marathon point that fell in the Spaniard’s favor.
Before the match, Alcaraz said winning Wimbledon would be the best moment of his life. After taking match point with a powerful forehand, Alcaraz collapsed and cupped his head in his hands while stomach-down before shaking hands with Djokovic.
“It’s a dream come true,” Alcaraz said. “To be able to play in this stage, it’s amazing … to reach this situation really fast, I’m really really proud of myself and the team that I have.”
Instead of Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, becoming the oldest male champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain, became the third-youngest. The age gap between the two was the widest in any men's Slam final since 1974.
There were plenty of celebrities in the crowd to watch Carlos Alcarez defeat Novak Djokovic. Check them out below.
Tom Hiddleston
Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre
Andrew Garfield
Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig
Princess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and Prince William
Brad Pitt
James Norton and Imogen Potts
Jonathan Bailey, Ariana Grande, and Andrew Garfield