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Top seed Carlos Alcaraz dethroned four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in five sets in a rivetting men's singles final at Wimbledon on Sunday.
A dream World No. 1-2 final lived up to its billing as the two best players this fortnight battled it out for the title. Djokovic made a superb start, producing a near-perfect opening set, conceding just one game, to draw first blood after saving a break point in the first game.
Alcaraz sought an immediate response in the second, breaking the Djokovic serve only to get broken while serving for a 3-0 lead. The set went the distance, where the Serb squandered a 3-0 lead and a set point as Alcaraz drew parity.
Riding his momentum, the young Spaniard reversed the first set score. He engineered the double break in an epic fifth game, featuring 13 deuces in 27 minutes, to take the all-important two-sets-to-one lead.
Undeterred, Djokovic wasn't ready to relinquish his crown without a fight. He saved two break points and broke his opponent twice as Wimbledon saw a five-set final for the first time since 2019.
The Serb rued missing a forehand winner to go up 2-0. Alcaraz produced the lone break of the set in the next game as Djokovic dented the net post in frustration. As hard as he would try, he couldn't find a breakthrough as Alcaraz continued to serve like a dream.
Dropping just five more points on serve, the 20-year-old sunk to his knees in disbelief when Djokovic hit a forehand into the net on championship point.
In the process, Alcaraz, who will remain No. 1 on Monday emulated Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010) as the only Spanish player in the Open Era to win Wimbledon.
He also achieved a few other notable milestones. Let's have a look at the top five:
#1 Carlos Alcaraz is youngest player in Open Era to win Wimbledon and US Open
Carlos Alcaraz made his breakthrough at the US Open last year, becoming the first teenager in 32 years (Pete Sampras, 1990) to win at Flushing Meadows.
Less than a year after that historic triumph, the 20-year-old, playing only his fourth grasscourt event, celebrated his second straight title on the surface. That makes him the youngest player in the Open Era to win the US Open and Wimbledon.
Alcaraz is only the fifth player in the Open Era (since the 1968 French Open) to win multiple Major titles before turning 21. The others are Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Boris Becker, and Rafael Nadal.
#2 Third youngest player to win Wimbledon in Open Era
The records and milestones keep tumbling for Carlos Alcaraz. With his win over Djokovic on Sunday, the young Spaniard became the youngest Wimbledon champion in nearly four decades.
In fact, he's the third youngest winner at SW19 in the Open Era, with only Boris Becker (1985) and Bjorn Borg (1976) ahead of him.
Among the duo, Becker won two titles at Wimbledon as a teenager.
#3 First non big-4 player to win Wimbledon
The big four - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray - have an outstanding record at Wimbledon, with each man winning multiple titles.
While Federer (8) and Djokovic (7) have accounted for the bulk of the titles, Nadal and Murray have two wins apiece. In fact, since Lleyton Hewitt's 2002 triumph, one member of the big four has triumphed at Wimbledon until Alcaraz ended the streak on Sunday.
The young Spaniard is now unbeaten in 12 matches on grass this year, having won his first title on the surface at Queen's only three weeks ago.
#4 Second player to beat Novak Djokovic in a five-set Grand Slam final
Novak Djokovic missed the opportunity to go level with Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles and Margaret Court's mark of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. However, he still remains a bonafide legend of the sport.
The Serb is the ultimate warrior and has a super impressive 37-11 five-set record. He had all the momentum against Alcaraz when he forced a decider. Djokovic's only loss in a five-set Grand Slam final came against Andy Murray at the 2012 US Open.
On Sunday, though, Carlos Alcaraz joined three-time Grand Slam winner Murray as the only two players to beat Djokovic over five sets in a Major final.
It's noteworthy to mention that Roger Federer (2014, 2019 Wimbledon) and Rafael Nadal (2012 Australian Open) have failed to beat Djokovic in five-set Grand Slam finals.
#5 First player in a decade to beat Djokovic on Centre Court
Novak Djokovic was unbeaten on Wimbledon's hallowed Centre Court since losing to Andy Murray in straight sets in the 2013 final.
With his win over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals on Friday, the 36-year-old won his 45th straight match on the historic court. However, Carlos Alcaraz ended that historic streak spanning ten years with an epic five-set win on Sunday.
To put Djokovic's streak in numbers, it's the longest-winning record on Centre Court by any player - man or woman - since its opening in 1922. The next best record belongs to Roger Federer and Helen Moody, who won 32 matches apiece.
Defeat to Carlos Alcaraz ended Djokovic's 34-match win-streak on grass, the third-best mark in the Open Era, after Borg (41) and Federer (40).
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