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TENNIS
Two New Champs at Wimbledon 2023
As this year’s All England Championships draws to a close… let’s talk about the champions
In what will be remembered as a Wimbledon final for ages Carlos Alcaraz recovered from losing the opening set, and survived a fourth set comeback by Novak Djokovic, to eventually subdue the defending champion 1–6, 7–6 (6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.
The 20-year-old, who had been brushed aside by Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals, emerged triumphant in four-hour, 42-minutes. The result made the Spaniard only the fifth man in the Open Era (1968 onwards) to win multiple major titles prior to turning 21.
Alcaraz, who was playing in only his fourth tournament on a grass court, becomes only the first player outside of the sport’s Big Four of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title since 2002 — when Australian Lleyton Hewitt had won. The Spaniard, coached by former French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero, becomes the third youngest man to win the Wimbledon title in the Open Era. A 17-year-old Boris Becker won in 1985 while a 20-year-old Bjorn Borg won the first of his five straight titles in 1976.
The top-ranked player’s epic triumph ended Djokovic’s hopes of winning a fifth successive…
