Novak Djokovic remained confident heading into the fifth set of the men’s singles final over the weekend. He had ample reason to be, of course. He hitherto claimed 45 consecutive set-tos on Centre Court, a remarkable record built over 10 years and reflective of his command of the sport’s premier tournament. Moreover, he brought with him 34-match win streaks on grass surfaces and at Wimbledon, in particular, not to mention 27 straight in Grand Slam events. In other words, he was all but invincible with the hardware on the line. Which was why he stayed as the odds-on favorite to take home the Gentlemen Single’s Trophy despite being taken to the limit.
There was just one problem with Djokovic’s assessment, however. Carlos Alvarez was in the way. It didn’t matter that the World Number One favored clay and hard courts, or that he was far less familiar with the intricacies of playing on grass. And forget his relative lack of experience at 20. Given his extraordinary ascent to the top of the tennis world over the last year, his status as the underdog seemed to undervalue his accomplishments. For not a few quarters, he was, at the very least, the equal of the holder of 23 major championship titles, the most in the sport’s annals.
Indeed, Alcaraz would go on to prove his worth, prevailing in the deciding set 6-4. Thusly, he gave rise to arguments that he is the best of the best in tennis. Whereas he wilted under pressure with the Coupe des Mousquetaires at stake in Roland Garros, he kept his poise — and showed unshakable confidence — in the crunch at the All England Club. It’s how he was able to force Djokovic into a couple of uncharacteristic errors in the second set tiebreak, and into giving up a critical service break in the fifth.
Which is not to say fans witnessed a changing of the guard. In the aftermath, Djokovic would rue the aforementioned lapses, admitting that the loss stung, and would hurt for a while, because he came so close. And he did; so tightly fought was the encounter that Alcaraz, with 168 points won all told, proved to be only two better than him. His advancing age notwithstanding, he has kept motivated and fit to the point of ensuring contention in Grand Slam stops. He still has a lot left in the tank, and his fate continues to be his to carve.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
