Former world number one and multiple grand slam winner Novak Djokovic says Sunday’s Wimbledon final loss to Carlos Alcaraz will certainly not be his final appearance at the All England Club but vowed to return to fight another day.
For the second year in a row Djokovic suffered defeat in a Wimbledon final to 21-year-old Alcaraz, but whereas last year was a five-set epic which could have gone either way, 2024’s finale was rather more one-sided.
Indeed, the defeat was the first time in over a decade – since Andy Murray’s 2013 Wimbledon success – that Djokovic was beaten in straight sets in a Grand Slam final on grass, going down 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4).
“He was the better player from the beginning until the end,” Djokovic said. “You can always analyse the match, of course, and say I could have done this or that.
“Just overall the way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court. That’s it. He was a better player. He played every single shot better than I did.
“I tried to fight my way in the third and come back, saving three match points, extending the match a little bit. But I guess it was inevitable for him to win today because he was just coming out on the court with a better quality tennis. It’s as simple as that.
“I don’t think I could have done much more. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must have had a really good serving practice day yesterday. Overall he really outplayed me.
Djokovic heaped praise on Alcaraz after his straight sets final defeat
Despite the defeat and the manner of it, Djokovic – who made a remarkable recovery from knee surgery to even take part in Wimbledon this year – said he will be back to compete in the championships again.
“As far as coming back here, I would love to,” he said. “I don’t have anything else in my thoughts right now that this is my last Wimbledon. I really want to play.
“I don’t have any limitations in my mind. I still want to keep going and play as long as I feel like I can play on this high level.”
Djokovic admits the quality of Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner will make winning gold at the Paris Olympics difficult
“In order to really have a chance to beat these guys in a Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today.
Wimbledon: I Was Comprehensibly Outclassed, Djokovic Concedes Defeat To Alcaraz
