Carlos Alcaraz dethrones Novak Djokovic to be new king of Wimbledon

The young Spaniard looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from a nervous start to take a two-sets-to-one lead only for Djokovic to show once again his remarkable powers of resilience.

It was he who appeared in the ascendancy at the start of the fifth set but back came 20-year-old Alcaraz to claim a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory after four hours and 42 minutes, finally landing a meaningful blow for the young guns against the man 16 years his senior.

Alcaraz slumped to the court after Djokovic’s final forehand dropped into the net before sharing a long embrace with the vanquished Serbian.

The defeat prevented Djokovic tying Roger Federer with an eighth Wimbledon title, while it also ended his chances of winning the calendar Grand Slam this year, although he will surely have more opportunities to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 slam crowns.

Alcaraz was not even born when Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 became the last man apart from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Djokovic to win the title here, and he is the youngest men’s champion since Boris Becker in 1986.

This was the hottest ticket in town. Along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte and King Felipe VI of Spain, Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig were in attendance while, among the tennis ranks, sat in the stands with new men’s doubles champion Neal Skupski, was Murray.

The Scot was the last man to beat Djokovic on this court, 10 years and 46 matches ago, in that unforgettable final.

No one had got close this fortnight and for first half an hour Alcaraz snatched at shots and Djokovic carved him apart, winning the first five games and then the opening set.

But the Spaniard settled at the start of the second and, although an early break of serve was cancelled out straight away by Djokovic, Alcaraz had largely cut out the unforced errors and was asking real questions.

Most of the time Djokovic had the answers, Alcaraz standing with hands on hips after another break point at 1-2 was snatched away in a 29-shot rally.

Unlike for the women’s final, the roof was open, but conditions were still blustery and the crowd, which was largely behind Alcaraz, was becoming irritated by the number of times Djokovic was bouncing the ball before serving.

When Djokovic moved into a 3-0 lead in the tie-break, it appeared a two-set lead, and probably the match, was close.

But two big serves from Alcaraz were followed by a netted drop shot from Djokovic and the Spaniard was back on terms.

Umpire Fergus Murphy’s patience ran out at 4-5 in the tie-break and he gave Djokovic a time violation, to much cheering from the crowd. He still won the next two points but unusually Djokovic netted a backhand on his set point and then did the same the following point before seeing a return fly past him.

As Alcaraz turned to the fans in celebration, Djokovic returned disconsolately to his chair, where he sat shaking his head in the direction of his box, his run of 15 straight slam tie-breaks won ending.

It felt like a huge moment, and even more so when Alcaraz broke serve to start the third set, taking the lead in the match for the first time.

Djokovic complained to Murphy that he was not being given enough time to get to his towel at the back of the court between serves during a remarkable 26-minute fifth game featuring 13 deuces and seven break points – at 32 points, the longest in a Wimbledon men’s singles final.

On the last of those, Djokovic’s resistance gave way, and the 36-year-old was beginning to look distinctly less sprightly than his opponent, virtually giving away two games before he headed off court for a long bathroom break.

There were boos on his return, with Alcaraz standing ready to serve for several minutes. Both men knew how important the start of the fourth set was and Djokovic, who had tape on his left thigh, dug in to save two break points.

Alcaraz paid for a simple volley placed into the tramlines as Djokovic broke to lead, and the defending champion looked mentally and physically sharp again as he set up a decider.

Had Djokovic put away an apparently simple overhead to break for 2-0, he may well have walked away with the trophy again, but he netted it and instead it was Alcaraz who broke back for a 2-1 lead.

Alcaraz, with the touch and courage of a true champion, seized his moment, some sumptuous shots mixed with power in his closing service game summing up the new king.