2023 Wimbledon Final: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic

2023 Wimbledon Champion?

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One thing I continue to appreciate about Alcaraz as I watch him is how he has great natural feel for match dynamics, able to cycle through tactics quite effortlessly, even though at times he can look aimless and is an unusually instinctive and at times random shot-maker. He showed some hyper aggression, some junk, and often unpredictable redirection.

Djokovic also excelled for much of the match in moving Carlos all around the block, and pinning him in the ad court with his CC backhand. Generally, Djokovic was able to gain more ground in such exchanges. But Alcaraz showed a great ability to resist and defend on the stretch, and his new and improved ability to resist when rushed on the forehand was impressive, able to loop and stun the ball DTL and buy himself time.

All in all, Raz's tennis is quite cavalier and impetuous, but also generally well-conceived. I can imagine it's quite stressful to play against, especially as he also plays with such a fierce general tempo... something of a force of nature around the court.

But there's still a lot for him to work on, especially regarding anticipation, which to me actually feels worse than any of the big three players even at a young age. But his raw athleticism is noteworthy, and the depth of his options at this stage is top rank, coupled with proactive and aggressive intent. He could also become a lot more precise in general with his serve - his whole approach to tennis is quite sort of... general and broad. He lacks the incisiveness of even a young Federer, for example, though overall he's clearly more complete age for age, experience for experience. But hey it's gonna be fascinating to see how he can continue to develop and improve his game. His natural talent and adaptability are obvious.
 
Why isn't novak being fined for this ?? this disgusting behavior. also why wasn't he penalized ??


Djokovic-demolish-racket-during-Wimbledon-final-1.jpg
 
-NN- said:
One thing I continue to appreciate about Alcaraz as I watch him is how he has great natural feel for match dynamics, able to cycle through tactics quite effortlessly, even though at times he can look aimless and is an unusually instinctive and at times random shot-maker. He showed some hyper aggression, some junk, and often unpredictable redirection.

Djokovic also excelled for much of the match in moving Carlos all around the block, and pinning him in the ad court with his CC backhand. Generally, Djokovic was able to gain more ground in such exchanges. But Alcaraz showed a great ability to resist and defend on the stretch, and his new and improved ability to resist when rushed on the forehand was impressive, able to loop and stun the ball DTL and buy himself time.

All in all, Raz's tennis is quite cavalier and impetuous, but also generally well-conceived. I can imagine it's quite stressful to play against, especially as he also plays with such a fierce general tempo... something of a force of nature around the court.

But there's still a lot for him to work on, especially regarding anticipation, which to me actually feels worse than any of the big three players even at a young age. But his raw athleticism is noteworthy, and the depth of his options at this stage is top rank, coupled with proactive and aggressive intent. He could also become a lot more precise in general with his serve - his whole approach to tennis is quite sort of... general and broad. He lacks the incisiveness of even a young Federer, for example, though overall he's clearly more complete age for age, experience for experience. But hey it's gonna be fascinating to see how he can continue to develop and improve his game. His natural talent and adaptability are obvious.
Click to expand...
Great summary of Alcaraz’s game. I was surprised at how he varied his tactics today. In the third set he went into borderline-pusher mode – refused to make unforced errors and surprisingly it was Novak who got impatient and sprayed the ball. In the fourth Novak picked up his level and started making those aggressive shots and Alcaraz responded in the fifth by upping the aggression himself.

I actually was worried in the early stages of the fifth because I saw Carlos going back to lower-percentage shots and figured that just wouldn’t be sustainable. Well, today he certainly sustained it. 18 winners to 5 unforced errors. Just a beauty of a fifth set. It’s what’ll go down in the highlight reels and collective memory, and deservedly so, but as you note he also won in large part off the back of smart play elsewhere, varying up his tactics as needed.
 
tudwell said:
Great summary of Alcaraz’s game. I was surprised at how he varied his tactics today. In the third set he went into borderline-pusher mode – refused to make unforced errors and surprisingly it was Novak who got impatient and sprayed the ball. In the fourth Novak picked up his level and started making those aggressive shots and Alcaraz responded in the fifth by upping the aggression himself.

I actually was worried in the early stages of the fifth because I saw Carlos going back to lower-percentage shots and figured that just wouldn’t be sustainable. Well, today he certainly sustained it. 18 winners to 5 unforced errors. Just a beauty of a fifth set. It’s what’ll go down in the highlight reels and collective memory, and deservedly so, but as you note he also won in large part off the back of smart play elsewhere, varying up his tactics as needed.
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The more I think about the 5th set the more impressive it gets, because Alcaraz went after it so hard and never backed down... at 20 years old against one of the great Wimbledon players in his first Wimbledon final at barely 20 years of age, after taking possibly the most humiliating loss of his career to the same player in the Slam immediately prior! He played with positivity and freedom in the 5th set, when the stakes were at their highest. Tremendous mental display, coupled with fantastic tennis form.
 
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Nostradamus said:
That is what we call Flagrant fowl. if Ball boy got hit by splinter from the wood, novak should be banned for life, and all his Slams taken away
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I felt bad for Alcaraz. He cupped his ear to hear the cheers from the crowd, was startled and looked like a fool for a moment. This kind of outrage when the opponent is celebrating is one reason why Djoker's smiling post-match half-hugs look fake.
 
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_phantom said:
I felt bad for Alcaraz. He was cupping his ear to hear the cheers from the crowd. Got startled, and looked like a fool for an instance.
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Glad you brought that up.. Critical Moment. cause Carlos knew after that he had novak....he was novak was coming apart mentally and losing it inside..... That's why that kind of conduct is moronic at so many levels
 
tudwell said:
Great summary of Alcaraz’s game. I was surprised at how he varied his tactics today. In the third set he went into borderline-pusher mode – refused to make unforced errors and surprisingly it was Novak who got impatient and sprayed the ball. In the fourth Novak picked up his level and started making those aggressive shots and Alcaraz responded in the fifth by upping the aggression himself.

I actually was worried in the early stages of the fifth because I saw Carlos going back to lower-percentage shots and figured that just wouldn’t be sustainable. Well, today he certainly sustained it. 18 winners to 5 unforced errors. Just a beauty of a fifth set. It’s what’ll go down in the highlight reels and collective memory, and deservedly so, but as you note he also won in large part off the back of smart play elsewhere, varying up his tactics as needed.
Click to expand...
if you can do it, this is how you beat novak. he is capable of playing offensive tennis but at heart, he is a counterpuncher...you can see how he draws his energy from taking your best shot, and jamming it down your throat with something even better. if you can play with margin, hit big targets consistently, and don't give him the opportunity to become a counterpunching hero, he loses a little bit of his juice so to speak. medvedev has done it to him just as novak did to nadal on many occasions. of course this requires some serious focus, speed and athleticism...but carlos has that. loved those spinny balls to the novak backhand, that was a pattern that paid big dividends.
 
Reposted from another thread:

In winning 2023 Wimbledon, Alcaraz becomes:

1. The 1st man to win the title since Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray.
2. The 3rd youngest man to win the singles title (after Becker and Borg).
3. The 3rd officially active player to win the title (after Nadal and Murray).
4. The 5th Spanish player to win the title (after Santana, Martinez, Nadal, Muguruza).
5. The 3rd Spanish man to win the title (after Santana and Nadal).
6. The 2nd Spanish man to win the title in the Open Era (after Nadal).
7. One of 5 officially active players to win multiple Slam singles titles (along with Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Wawrinka).
8. Only the 2nd player ever to beat Djokovic (a 7 times champion) in a Wimbledon final (along with Murray).
9. Only the 2nd player to beat Djokovic in a 5 set Slam singles final (after Murray).
10. One of just 8 players in the Open Era to complete the Queen's-Wimbledon double (along with McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Sampras, Hewitt, Nadal, Murray).
 
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mental midget said:
if you can do it, this is how you beat novak. he is capable of playing offensive tennis but at heart, he is a counterpuncher...you can see how he draws his energy from taking your best shot, and jamming it down your throat with something even better. if you can play with margin, hit big targets consistently, and don't give him the opportunity to become a counterpunching hero, he loses a little bit of his juice so to speak. medvedev has done it to him just as novak did to nadal on many occasions. of course this requires some serious focus, speed and athleticism...but carlos has that. loved those spinny balls to the novak backhand, that was a pattern that paid big dividends.
Click to expand...
Yeah that loopy down-the-line forehand was a game changer. He avoided making errors when on the back foot, gave himself time to recover if pulled out wide, forced Novak to use his backhand to try to keep the initiative in the point (where clearly his forehand is much more deadly and proactive these days). Glad he’s added that to his arsenal. The kid improves by the day.
 
In CNN they were talking about something I didn't think of, that Djokovic would've equaled M. Court's number of 24 :oops:
It seems like M. Court is cursing anyone coming near that number. It happened with Graf and Serena, and now Nole
 
Topspin_80 said:
Alcaraz and Djokovic have played 3 matches.

In all 3 Alcaraz was a set down.

At Madrid Open, he came back to win the match.

At RG, he won the second set, and after Djokovic bathroom break (gamesmanship) Alcaraz held his serve, and
on Djokovic serve he was 0-30 then cramps struck, and we know the rest of the story.

Today, more of the same, Djokovic won the 1st set, just to end up losing the match.

Moral of the story is never count Alcaraz out.
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Again, I wanted Alcaraz to win, but Djokovic had set point to go up 2-0 and only has himself to blame for dropping the second. There isn't some mystical pattern at play. If Djokovic won the second set, I don't think Alcaraz would have come back.

Alcaraz turned in an epic performance today; it was inspiring.
 
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. The man was the boy Carlos, the hour was the defeat of one of the greatest players to date, Novak Djokovic. All rise to salute the 2023 Wimbledon champion for a blistering performance that will live on in the memory of tennisdom / the sports-world for a myriad reasons, for the forseeable future. Top of top drawer stuff. Bravo Carlos.

What a superb, compelling contest between these two champions. It had everything. From the tsunami that was ND in the 1st set in which CA virtually sank under the weight of the deluge/the catharsis for CA of the 2nd set tie break win/the dismantling of ND's will power in the 3rd set / the renaissance of ND's will power in the 4th set and CA outclassing ND in the deciding set. So many points fought over as though their very lives depended on it.

The spectacle of a hard fought duel between 2 top athletes is inspirational. In this one, there was the added romance of a youngster attempting to overthrow the seasoned incumbent. Throw in their respective history making aims and the match took on a particularly compelling intensity.

This match tells the story of supreme self belief and the refusal to take anything less than the win by CA. At 20, he has shown how to remain resolute yet adaptable, and how to seamlessly exchange a strategic stance for an intuitive response. The boy attacked and defended at will when in full flow, and the creativity of his game was breathtaking at times. Chapeau, Carlos. You showed the Maestro Djokovic vistas he has not seen before.

This was CA's 4th grass court tournament, and his second title on the surface, both won this year - at Queens and now Wimbledon. He has played 3 GS's since last Wimbledon, winning 2 ( the USO and Wimbledon) reaching the SF at the FO.

In his press conference, ND said that CA is a mixture of himself, Nadal and Federer and that he has never played a player like him. Many other players have said similar things. Tennis pundits and aficionados alike have spoken of CA's unique talents. I rate him as a genius, with his full potential yet to be honed.

His record against ND is noteworthy. He beat him in Madrid 2022, lost due to cramping at the FO 2023 SF ( John McEnroe said the first 2 sets were some of the best tennis he has seen, with ND winning the first and CA the 2nd) and has just beaten him at Wimbledon 2023. What a record against one of the greatest players to date.

Then of course there is his superstar appeal. He exudes the 'X' factor, and is very charming. He has it all. He took this title with the King of Spain and the Prince and Princess of Wales looking on, as well as the adoring fans and a plethora of celebrities, making a polished speech. Long may he remain fit and healthy and continue to dazzle the sport with his presence. Carlos, the trailblazer. The 2 time GS champion within a year. Carpe diem, we said, and he more than obliged. Top of top drawer.

I'd like to end with a salute to Djokovic too. It must have been very disappointing to lose this well fought match, at this level. Yet he was gracious and generous in praise of CA in his speech. I anticipate yet more battles between them, and look forward to some more great tennis.
 
I love seeing old vet greats against young hungry dogs. The outcome was different than I expected and it's a strong message to Djokovic.
4th ever grass tournament and he beats a 7-time winner.
 
Mainad said:
Reposted from another thread:

In winning 2023 Wimbledon, Alcaraz becomes:

1. The 1st man to win the title since Federer, Nadal and Murray.
2. The 3rd youngest man to win the singles title (after Becker and Borg).
3. The 3rd officially active player to win the title (after Nadal and Murray).
4. The 5th Spanish player to win the title (after Santana, Martinez, Nadal, Muguruza).
5. The 3rd Spanish man to win the title (after Santana and Nadal).
6. The 2nd Spanish man to win the title in the Open Era (after Nadal).
7. One of 5 officially active players to win multiple Slam singles titles (along with Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Wawrinka).
8. Only the 2nd player ever to beat Djokovic (a 7 times champion) in a Wimbledon final (along with Murray).
9. Only the 2nd player to beat Djokovic in a 5 set Slam singles final (after Murray).
10. One of just 8 players in the Open Era to complete the Queen's-Wimbledon double (along with McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Sampras, Hewitt, Nadal, Murray).
Click to expand...

Huh?
Is Djoker not a man? What is he an animal?
 
Djokovic made so many errors due to the pressure from Alcaraz it was insane as usually thats what Djokovic does to others. Lets see if this destroys him mentally and we see the true changing of the guard or ge comes back fired up for the tail end of his career.
 
Soul_of_Slicehand said:
No mental game, no return, no serve, too hot headed, an unforced error machine, hewit like career, false number one, so scared he cramps, no atg talent..... i said it before, alcaraz wims wimbledon, i said it before, he would have won RG, and i said it before, always tought grass was gonna be his best surface, now stay with the percentage tennis of novak, unbeatable at slams, unbeatable at tie breaks, you didnt watch this coming because you werent watching the matches from alcaraz simce a long time now, he was doing crazy things, not only technical but mental, now you cansee whats what, i hope you have enjoyed the best tennis you have watched in years, say thanks to him, and apologize to yourselves for being so dumb and so clueless about tennis, now im out of this craphole.
@tennisfan @dking68 @Kralingen
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Bro wtf are you talking about lmfao

I called this
 
powerrangers said:
Djokovic made so many errors due to the pressure from Alcaraz it was insane as usually thats what Djokovic does to others. Lets see if this destroys him mentally and we see the true changing of the guard or ge comes back fired up for the tail end of his career.
Click to expand...

Lol Novak will be right in the finals in 2 months at the USO. He'll use Montreal and Cincy for practice sessions and at the USO, who's gonna beat him before the semi's at worst? Shelton? Rune? Ruud? Tiafoe? He's damn near a lock for the finals unless he "grows old overnight".

This Wimbledon has shown me that if Fed and/or Rafa showed up 80% of their best, they make it to the QF at the WORST.
 
BeatlesFan said:
I didn't see that anyone else posted this before, it really shows Carlos's charisma. He's very classy with Martina Navratilova, knowing she's been battling cancer. And Jelena shows up at the end to congratulate him.

Click to expand...

Did they give Djoker the exact same treatment last year?
Any videos of it?
 
powerrangers said:
Djokovic made so many errors due to the pressure from Alcaraz it was insane as usually thats what Djokovic does to others. Lets see if this destroys him mentally and we see the true changing of the guard or ge comes back fired up for the tail end of his career.
Click to expand...
true. i was thinking during the match that making novak hit an UE is almost worth hitting 2 winners…novak plays with a chip on his shoulder and is absolutely the most dangerous when things look like they’re against him (40-15?)

if you can be good enough to make him miss, it definitely messes with him and robs him of something to feed off of.
 
Couldn't post as was in the flight but watched the whole match. What a victory for Alcaraz. Nole fought very hard but Alcaraz did not give up.
 
It really was a delightful match. Just all the twists and turns. Djokovic up a set and on the brink of being up two sets, then Alcaraz up two sets after "The Game" in the third, and then Djokovic regrouping in the fourth before the fifth set finale where Alcaraz breaks early and has to hold on. Good stuff.
 
mental midget said:
true. i was thinking during the match that making novak hit an UE is almost worth hitting 2 winners…novak plays with a chip on his shoulder and is absolutely the most dangerous when things look like they’re against him (40-15?)

if you can be good enough to make him miss, it definitely messes with him and robs him of something to feed off of.
Click to expand...
Exactly my thoughts!! The 2 backhand UEs in the tail end of the tiebreak where totally because of the pressure by Alcaraz.

Alcaraz was without a doubt the better player overall. He was aggressive on return of serve, had brilliant net play and was able to hang in baseline rallies as well.

Novak got outplayed for the most part from 2nd set onwards. The confidence boost for Alcaraz could see him soar even higher in coming tournaments. Infact it could also propel others from his gen to level up. Afterall he did what many thought was impossible. Beat Novak at a Wimb final in a 5 set thriller!!
 

Seeing the young buck play his best tennis in the biggest moments, on the biggest stage.

That was awesome to watch and I couldn't be happier to have been proven wrong in my prediction that Djokovic would edge this match if it went long. Watching that tennis match gave a real good buzz that I haven't felt in many years. It had that rare 'yeah this is the real deal' big game feel to it once the set scores were levelled.

I was particularly impressed with how smart Alcaraz played in that third set, probably the smartest tennis I have ever seen from him, taking some pace off but still moving Novak around — playing with margin and patience that may go against his natural super aggressive instincts. But it set him up so well for the rest of the match as he showed he can hang with Djokovic while also playing a different kind of game, Djokovic's own game, as well as being able to blast him off the court ... that must have been quite a demoralising change-up to be on the receiving end of if you're Novak ... I thought this kid just liked to hit hard and play the net ... and then the level Carlos showed in that fifth set, just wow, sublime. What a way to get it done.
 
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Nadal - GOAT said:
Exactly my thoughts!! The 2 backhand UEs in the tail end of the tiebreak where totally because of the pressure by Alcaraz.

Alcaraz was without a doubt the better player overall. He was aggressive on return of serve, had brilliant net play and was able to hang in baseline rallies as well.

Novak got outplayed for the most part from 2nd set onwards. The confidence boost for Alcaraz could see him soar even higher in coming tournaments. Infact it could also propel others from his gen to level up. Afterall he did what many thought was impossible. Beat Novak at a Wimb final in a 5 set thriller!!
Click to expand...
i think carlos has a far more complete and dangerous bag of tricks relative to the rest of the younger players...novak is still simply better than the rest of the field, for the most part. but for players like sinner, maybe the takeaway can be: throttle back a bit, big targets, and don't give novak the opportunity to be the counterpunching hero that is really his whole animating force....he might still beat you, but don't press unless it's a no-brainer opportunity.
 
-NN- said:
One thing I continue to appreciate about Alcaraz as I watch him is how he has great natural feel for match dynamics, able to cycle through tactics quite effortlessly, even though at times he can look aimless and is an unusually instinctive and at times random shot-maker. He showed some hyper aggression, some junk, and often unpredictable redirection.

Djokovic also excelled for much of the match in moving Carlos all around the block, and pinning him in the ad court with his CC backhand. Generally, Djokovic was able to gain more ground in such exchanges. But Alcaraz showed a great ability to resist and defend on the stretch, and his new and improved ability to resist when rushed on the forehand was impressive, able to loop and stun the ball DTL and buy himself time.

All in all, Raz's tennis is quite cavalier and impetuous, but also generally well-conceived. I can imagine it's quite stressful to play against, especially as he also plays with such a fierce general tempo... something of a force of nature around the court.

But there's still a lot for him to work on, especially regarding anticipation, which to me actually feels worse than any of the big three players even at a young age. But his raw athleticism is noteworthy, and the depth of his options at this stage is top rank, coupled with proactive and aggressive intent. He could also become a lot more precise in general with his serve - his whole approach to tennis is quite sort of... general and broad. He lacks the incisiveness of even a young Federer, for example, though overall he's clearly more complete age for age, experience for experience. But hey it's gonna be fascinating to see how he can continue to develop and improve his game. His natural talent and adaptability are obvious.
Click to expand...
My dad who was watching said Alcaraz reminded him of a young Becker, particularly the way he covered the court.
 
mental midget said:
i think carlos has a far more complete and dangerous bag of tricks relative to the rest of the younger players...novak is still simply better than the rest of the field, for the most part. but for players like sinner, maybe the takeaway can be: throttle back a bit, big targets, and don't give novak the opportunity to be the counterpunching hero that is really his whole animating force....he might still beat you, but don't press unless it's a no-brainer opportunity.
Click to expand...
Regarding Sinner, I think he can learn from Alcaraz with regards to deploying variety to finish points when on top in rallies.

In the SF, Sinner was very predictable against Novak. He could have tried a few droppers, come more often to the net, drawn Novak forward and then played a pass/lob. He hardly did these plays and that made him easy to handle for Novak.

Now I know he is not very good at these things like Carlos is as of now. But he now has the knowledge of what works. He has the baseline game to keep up with Novak and even outhit him. I can see him beating Novak in HC very soon if he develops the other attributes a bit.
 
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