2023-07-17 03:01:00
“When Rafael was a child, I told him that the main thing, to differentiate himself, was to win Wimbledon,” Toni Nadal, uncle, mentor and former coach of the multi-time Grand Slam champion, recalled years ago. He remembered it after the cinematic final that his nephew beat Roger Federer in the 2008 edition, perhaps the best men’s tennis match of all time.
Fifteen years later, with Nadal already consecrated in every corner of the world, another prodigy materialized the dream and engraved his name forever. But with a plus. Because Carlos Alcaraz did not come to the circuit to make history. His, in the perspective of the times, envisions much greater: he came to modify history. The chimera that he achieved this Sunday at Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the world of tennis, ties in perfectly with his goal.
Chimera, by the way, is not a word chosen randomly: beating a player like Novak Djokovic on the Center Court of the All England, with the accumulation of records he was looking for and the unbeaten record he was trailing, appears as a separate feat only for the chosen. There were four hours and 43 minutes of a memorable clash, with anthological overtones, which was left in the hands of Alcaraz 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6 and 6-4.
A jewel of modern tennis, the 20-year-old player arrived on the circuit to change the paradigm and take on the legacy of the decade and a half dominated by Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. On Sunday, in particular, he retained first place in the ATP ranking in a match that put him at stake and continued the path of two famous Spaniards: Nadal himself, champion twice at Wimbledon (2008 and 2010), and the legendary Manuel Santana. , who celebrated in 1966.
“It is a dream come true. I am young and it is wonderful to come here so quickly. I work every day to win these tournaments. After losing the first set I thought: ‘I have to improve because people are going to be very sad.’ I congratulate Novak; it’s amazing to play against him. You learn a lot. He is 36 years old and he ran more than me. I didn’t expect to play so well on grass and win two tournaments (Note: he also established himself at Queen’s)”, expressed a radiant Alcaraz, with the golden trophy in his hands.
The first set, as the Spaniard himself remembered, envisioned a final with a sung result: Djokovic was overwhelming. Just 34 minutes. Alcaraz could not find holes against the man who was going for the historical double record: he intended to equal Federer’s 8 titles in the Cathedral and the 24 Grand Slams of the Australian Margaret Court between 1960 and 1973. He also sought to be the third male player, after the Swedish Björn Borg and Roger himself, with five crowns in a row at Wimbledon -in 2020 the tournament was suspended due to the pandemic-.
El Niño Maravilla, however, had other plans: to twist history and follow the path in another way. He then found a way to settle on the pitch and, as the commentator version of Juan Martín Del Potro predicted on social networks, he took a more aggressive direction so that “his mistakes would be worth it.” The game, in effect, was even. The development would be at the height of the event.
In some passages even Alcaraz came to frustrate Djokovic. He erased it, at times. Tenacity survived before history. That is why he was left with a hot tie break to level the final and, from then on, he did not go back in terms of dominance. When few glimpsed him as a favorite, Alcaraz broke the forecasts. Because he came to break, in addition, an entire era in men’s tennis.
To measure the conquest, some numbers must be highlighted. Alcaraz, champion last year at the US Open, is only the fifth male tennis player so far in the Open Era -since 1968- who has won at least two Grand Slam singles titles before turning 21. Before, only the Swede Mats Wilander (four trophies), Borg (three), the German Boris Becker (two) and Nadal himself (two) did.
More astonishing, however, is the strength of the barrier that he broke down to defeat Djokovic. The Serb, in a nutshell, had not lost at Wimbledon for six years and a decade without giving up on Center Court. With the number of days, perhaps it stands out more: 2,195 without losing in the most valuable tournament in the world -since the 2017 quarterfinals against the Czech Tomas Berdych, now retired- and 3,661 unbeaten on the Center Court -since the 2013 final against Scotsman Andy Murray.
Alcaraz and Djokovic, the award. Image: EFE
The player trained by former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero, his compatriot who won Roland Garros in 2003, also buried a hegemony that lasted 21 years: he became the first champion, since Australian Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 -le he won the final against David Nalbandian from Cordoba-, outside of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, who kept the 20 editions that took place in between.
Although there were great champions who knew how to snatch portions of glory in the middle of the golden era, such as Del Potro at the 2009 US Open or in many other valuable matches against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, this time a chosen one seems to have arrived. Alcaraz already wrote his name with indelible ink, in a golden color like the legendary Wimbledon cup. But he also came to change the status quo. Even the invincible like Djokovic can fall. The story changed.
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