Are we seeing a changing of the guard?..... that is what all the sports pundits are saying right now as Carlos Alcaraz defied the odds and ended up winning against what many people consider to be an aging GOAT in the sport of Tennis.
It was crazy match filled with highs and lows for both players and it one for the record books as one of the most exciting and unpredictable tennis matches of all time.
I'm sure some of that smile on Novak's face is a bit forced because he was a heavy favorite going into this match and in set one it looked like he was going to send the crowd home for an early afternoon. Djokovic absolutely dominated the first set and the crowd was cheering wildly as it appeared as though the GOAT was going to destroy the Spanish hopeful and world number 1. The rankings are still a bit disputed at this point due to Covid, so there are a lot of people out there that were looking at this exact match to determine who the "real" world number one actually is.
Well if there was any doubt as to whether or not Alcaraz deserves that top spot, he put that controversy to rest yesterday.
This marks the first time that Alcaraz has faced an opponent of Djokovic's caliber even though he has gone through basically the rest of the tennis roster including defeating Medvedev in convincing straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. This was also his very first time in the championship at Wimbledon and before anyone thinks that he is just finding his legs and is a paper champion, you need to consider that the Spaniard is a mere 20 years old. Barring any sort of horrible injury we probably have a lot left to see out of this guy.
He is one of the first of the latest wave of "replacements" for the aging greats to emerge as a true force in the sport of tennis. However, Djokovic fans need not drown in their tears just yet because it's not like Novak was easily defeated.
In a match that took nearly 5 hours to complete it went back and forth between the two of them with one person seemingly getting the upper hand only to have it fade away. It is extremely rare that we see a match go to such an end and with a final tally of 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, it was one of the most exciting and unpredictable matches I have ever seen. In the 4th set it seems like Novak had regained his composure and was going to take the trophy home but if the previous sets had taught us anything it would be to expect the unexpected.
I don't think that anyone would have predicted that both players would 6-1 their opponent during the course of this match.
The truly impressive thing about Alcaraz in my opinion is his mental fortitude that so few younger players possess. Normally a tennis professional doesn't develop the "mind game" until later in their career and allows the pressure of the matches to get to them. Most players have a really difficult time getting their "head in the game" after being embarrassed in the first set 1-6. Alcaraz came out in the 2nd set looking like a different person was on the court. The various frustrations such as unforced errors, double-faults, and even crowd noise that can destroy a player's game and make them smash rackets on the ground didn't get to the 20-year old. He held his composure and because of it emerged victorious.
We saw something historical in this Wimbledon and at least for the next few years, we might have a new rivalry on our hands and one that we can seriously get into because of the fact that Djokovic, largely considered to be the best player of all time, is 16 years older than Alcaraz. It's going to be an interesting rivalry for at least the next few years since Novak Djokovic is the only great from the last generation of players left.