Alcaraz broke again at the start of the second with Djokovic volleying into the net on the stretch. The 37-year-old was clearly not at his best, missing shots he would normally make and unable to cover the court with his usual speed.
In contrast, his opponent looked rock solid on serve and broke again thanks to another Djokovic double fault as he roared into a two-set lead.
Djokovic won the first two points on Alcaraz’s serve at the start of set three, but the youngster showed incredible athleticism to get back to 30-all before holding to deuce.
The next game saw Alcaraz again threaten the Djokovic serve with the veteran having to show all of his fighting spirit to save four break points and keep his slim hopes alive.
Leading 3-2, Djokovic tried everything to break for the first time. He produced some sparkling passes to bring the game back to deuce, but Alcaraz was eventually able to hold.
The ninth game saw Alcaraz quickly bring up three break points. Djokovic saved the first, but a backhand cross-court pass moved the Spaniard to the brink of a successful title defence.
Then came the first sign of nerves from the reigning champion. Having moved to 40-0 to bring up three championship points, his serve suddenly deserted him. Djokovic, with every one of his winners now cheered loudly inside Centre Court, came back to convert just his third break point of the match and remain in the contest.
The set went to a tiebreak which, for the first time, generated the tension synonymous with last year’s showdown. A wide forehand from Djokovic handed Alcaraz the mini-break although he managed to win the next point to make it 4-5. And after a sumptuous Alcaraz drop shot set up a fourth championship point, Djokovic netted his return to prolong his quest for a 25th Slam title.
Watched by a capacity crowd including the Princess of Wales – making a rare public appearance after undergoing treatment for cancer – former Wimbledon champions Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Chris Evert and Stefan Edberg, and actor Tom Cruise, Alcaraz was a worthy winner as he became the ninth man in the Open era to retain the title.
Djokovic said in his on-court interview, “He was definitely very hot today. It was obviously not the result I wanted and, especially the first couple of sets, the level of tennis wasn’t up to par really from my side. But credit to Carlos for really playing some amazing tennis, very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve, he had it all today.
“I tried to push him, saved the three match points and extended the match a little bit but it wasn’t meant to be, really. He was an absolutely deserved winner today so huge congratulations to him.”
Both men will play singles at Paris 2024 as Djokovic seeks the only big prize to elude him. Alcaraz will also contest the men’s doubles alongside Nadal.
