Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old from Spain, outlasted the 23-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic, bagging his first-ever Wimbledon title on Sunday. Alcaraz, the reigning world no. 1 ATP men’s player, also became the third-youngest player to win the Wimbledon title and also the third from Spain, after Rafael Nadal and Manuel Santana (1966 – pre-Open era). When it comes to the youngest Wimbledon champion in the men’s category, Boris Becker holds the all-time record, emerging champion at the All England’s Club at the age of 17 years, 7 months, and 15 days.
While Becker holds the top spot, the No. 2 position (in Open Era) is held by Bjorn Borg (20 years 27 days, in 1976). Among the big three of modern game, Roger Federer bagged the Wimbledon title in 2003 when he was 21 years and 333 days old.
In the women’s singles category, winning the 1997 title when she was just 16. She also set the record for youngest person to win any major title, when she won the Australian Open title at 16 years, three months, and 26 days.
Alcaraz bagged his first Wimbledon title, recovering from dropping the first set and saving a set point in the second to win 1-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 after four hours and 42 minutes on Centre Court.
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, match Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24 Slams and become the All England Club’s oldest men’s champion.
When he won his first major at the Australian Open in 2008, Alcaraz was still three months shy of his fifth birthday.
With AFP inputs
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