Novak Djokovic conceded he was “inferior” in Sunday’s Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz but vowed to return to SW19 to fight another day.
For the second year in succession, 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.
“[Last year] I lost in an epic five-set match that we went toe-to-toe. This year it was nothing like that. It was all about him. He was the dominant force on the court and deserved to win. From the very beginning, you could see he was at least half a step better than I am in every way.”
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.”
Of the epic opening game to the final which lasted 14 minutes, 20 points and eventually saw Alcaraz seal an opening break, Djokovic said: “The first game was incredible. One of the longest first games I’ve ever played.
“That set the tone. I think he was coming out from the blocks ready to battle and ready to play his best level right away, which wasn’t the case last year where I started better, had a comfortable first-set win.
“Today, from the first point, he was there, he was ready. That’s all I can say in terms of that.”
Djokovic played at Wimbledon three-and-a-half weeks after knee surgery
Djokovic now sets his sights on the Olympics – an event he has never won before in four previous attempts – and he knows the quality of Alcaraz and 22-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner will make it tough to take home a gold medal.
“The Olympic Games and US Open are the two big goals for the rest of the year for me, really. I’m hoping I can be at my best on those two tournaments,” he said.
“Being able to reach the final of Wimbledon, of course, it’s a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a match-up today against the best player right now in the world for sure, other than Jannik [Sinner] – both of them are the best this year by far – I feel like I’m not at that 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.
“I’m going to work on it. It’s not something I haven’t experienced before ever in my life. I’ve had so many different experiences throughout my career. In the face of adversity, normally I rise and I learn and get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do.”
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