Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic again in Wimbledon final for fourth Grand Slam title

At this time last year, Carlos Alcaraz handed Novak Djokovic his first loss on Centre Court in a decade when he came through a gripping five-set final to win Wimbledon.

On Sunday, the two warriors faced off once again in a blockbuster rematch at SW19. Alcaraz seeking to complete the Channel Slam, Djokovic chasing an all-time record 25th major trophy.

Alcaraz broke in a riveting 20-point, 14-minute opening game and never let up from there. The No. 3 seed ultimately dismissing the No. 2 seed, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4).

The 21-year-old is the sixth man in the Open Era to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic. Alcaraz improved to 4-0 in major finals, with this result marking his first to be completed in straight sets.

Djokovic had saved four break points in the first game before falling behind. Alcaraz set a strong tone from the start on his first serve, a contrast to Djokovic who went 12 for 22 in the first set when making his. A long double fault in the fifth game saw the Serbian hand over the double break.

Alcaraz capitalized on his chance to start the second set with a break by generating enough dip on his forehand crosscourt pass to draw a netted volley from Djokovic. Trips forward did not yield the success Djokovic was seeking on the day. Over the first two sets, he won just nine of 22 net points—with a backhand volley miss at 2-4, 30-30 leading to another loss of serve when he double faulted on the following point.

Djokovic fought off three break points to hold for 2-1 in the third set, roaring as he walked to his player bench. At 2-3, Alcaraz staved off break point with a timely serve up the T, then went to that same location with an ace that nailed the chalk to survive a 14-point game.

Then came a shocking turn of events. From 40-0 up, Alcaraz dropped the next five points to see three championship points go wasted in getting broken for the first time. Among the miscues, a double-fault at 40-0 and sprayed forehand drive volley at 40-30 that involved someone in the crowd yelling “out!” before he began his swing.

Djokovic seized nine of 10 points, before Alcaraz held at love for a tie-break. The Spaniard recovered from not finishing a routine forehand into the open court for an immediate mini break by winning the next three points. Another rally ender that failed to catch the line, this time a backhand up the line, saw Alcaraz lose the scoreboard advantage.

A late forehand from Djokovic allowed Alcaraz to regain a 5-3 lead. Back within a point of the championship, Alcaraz this time served it out when Djokovic's return caught the net.

"Huge congrats to Carlos. Deserved this win today. He was the better player from the beginning till the end," summarized Djokovic at the start of his press conference.