- Djokovic was playing in his ninth final at Wimbledon and 35th at the majors
- For Alcaraz, it was just a second in the Slams following his US Open triumph
Carlos Alcaraz has won the Wimbledon Men’s Singles title for the first time by ending Novak Djokovic’s recent dominance with a stunning victory.
Spain’s Alcaraz, 20, fought back from a nervy start to win 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 against the defending champion.
Djokovic was going for a fifth straight win, an eighth men’s triumph and a 24th major all-record-equalling feats.
But the 36-year-old Serb was outlasted by top seed Alcaraz, who underlined his class by winning a second major title.
Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, celebrated by falling flat on his face and kicking a ball into the crowd after taking his first match point.
The majority of a packed Centre Court, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales, actor Brad Pitt and two-time winner Andy Murray, rose to their feet to acclaim the All England Club’s newest champion.
As tradition now dictates, Alcaraz ran up the stairs from the court to his box and embraced coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, along with his family and friends.
Alcaraz is the third youngest man to win the Wimbledon title in the Open era after 17-year-old Boris Becker in 1985 and 20-year-old Bjorn Borg in 1976.
It was a second major for the 20-year-old Spaniard following his US Open title last year as he became Wimbledon’s third youngest men’s champion.
The result will also spark feverish speculation over the start of a generational shift, with 36-year-old Djokovic carrying the torch of the ‘Big Three’ now that Roger Federer is retired and Rafael Nadal is sidelined, perhaps permanently.
Australian Open and French Open champion Djokovic had been bidding to equal Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and match Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24 Slams.
When he won his first major at the Australian Open in 2008, Alcaraz was still three months shy of his fifth birthday.
Djokovic was playing in his ninth final at Wimbledon and 35th at the majors, while for Alcaraz it was just a second in the Slams following his US Open triumph.
The Serb went into the match not having lost on Centre Court since his 2013 final defeat to Andy Murray and he hit with relentless precision in the first set.
Alcaraz, who had been crippled by body cramping in his loss to Djokovic in the French Open semi-final in June, was unable to settle and let a break point slip away in the seven-minute opening game.