West News Wire: Novak Djokovic has spent the last few years of men’s tennis shattering the hopes and dreams of practically every younger challenger at the major championships as his great adversaries have faded from view. He has not only kept the younger generation at bay, but he has also savoured his dominance over them.
But it’s been obvious for a while that Carlos Alcaraz is just unique. He stands out for both his unmatched abilities on the court and the exceptional mental toughness that drives him to victory. Alcaraz returned from a set disadvantage to play at a remarkable level throughout five sets as the No. 1 seed at the French Open, a month after his body gave out from the extreme stress of playing Djokovic.
It was a tremendous encounter, and Alcaraz had an unbelievable performance. To win, he had to have unwavering self-confidence and consistently execute shots of the highest calibre throughout the course of five sets.
“It’s great to win, but even if I had lost, I would have been really proud of myself with this amazing run, making history in this beautiful tournament, playing a final against a legend of our sport,” Alcaraz said. “To be able to perform on these stages is fantastic; it’s a dream come true. It’s astonishing because I never thought a 20-year-old boy would find himself in this kind of scenario so quickly. I’m quite proud of myself.
Alcaraz’s career was already clearly on a trajectory that few 20‑year‑olds have matched, yet the top seed’s performance at Wimbledon has somehow outpaced all of the deafening hype. His ability to learn, adapt and improve is startling. Less than four weeks ago, Alcaraz began the grass-court season just trying to figure out how to play tennis on the surface without being so preoccupied by his balance and movement. He nearly lost at Queen’s Club against the No 83 Arthur Rinderknech.
