Tennis icon Novak Djokovic failed to add another Grand Slam to his legendary career, as Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz stopped him at the Wimbledon to retain his championship on Sunday. Despite the straight sets loss, Djoker oozed class as he paid rich tributes to his family, including his children, who watched their father play at the Centre Court.
The 24-time Grand-slam champion was up against the relentless Alcaraz in a rematch from the 2023 final. Djokovic managed to win only two games in the first two set and staged a fightback in the next, but the Spainard ultimately closed the match 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to lift the crown.
The Serbian started the post-match interview by thanking his wife and stated how his children have come to love tennis. He also promised to support his son fully should he wish to pursue the sport in the future.
“To my wife, I love you. Thank you for supporting me and being with me here. To my wonderful children Tara and Stefan- thank you for bringing a smile to my face every single day. I keep on tearing every single year when I look at them at the closing ceremony, but it’s so incredible to have them. I’m so thankful to be a father to these two little angels that love tennis. They’ve started to love tennis more and more.”
“I don’t know if I have the nerves to keep on going with the coaching career to my son. There are a lot of beautiful things in life, son. Tennis is not the only thing, but if you really wish to pursue it, I’ll be there for you,” the tennis ace said.
"Thank you for bringing the smile to my face every single day"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2024
Touching words from Novak, recognising the people who matter most đ«¶#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/V6btZMtL8r
Djokovic heaped praise on Alcaraz for playing a complete game in the final and not letting his opponent in at any stage.
“He was definitely very hot today. Obviously not the result I wanted and especially in the first couple of sets, the level of tennis was not par from my side. Credit to Carlos for playing some amazing tennis and a complete one. He had it all today. I tried to push him and save 3 match points and extended the match a bit, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Alcaraz opens up about ‘special’ Wimbledon post win
Following the win, Carlos Alcaraz labelled Wimbledon as his favourite trophy. Alcaraz went on to express pleasure at living and repeating his dream.
“It is a dream for me for winning this trophy. In an interview when I was 11 or 12 years old, I said that my dream is to win the Wimbledon. So, I’m repeating my dream and I want to keep going. But it’s obviously a great feeling to play in this beautiful court to lift this trophy. For me, this is the most beautiful tournament and court and trophy.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)
