Carlos Alcaraz appeared to have made no missteps throughout the 2024 Wimbledon tournament – at least, until the celebrations that followed his victory.
After beating Novak Djokovic in three sets in Sunday’s final, Alcaraz received his trophy in a ceremony with Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Middleton’s sister Pippa.
“We’ve been watching a lot of TV,” Kate remarked. “It’s great to finally meet you.”
After Alcaraz had a brief chat with Middleton and Charlotte, he appeared to leave the room before speaking to Pippa, 40, despite the princess’s apparent efforts to introduce the two.
All three royals were on hand at Centre Court on Sunday for the men’s singles final, where Middleton, 42, was greeted with a standing ovation as she endures her battle with cancer, which was announced in March.
Alcaraz’s main act saw him win his second Grand Slam event of the calendar year – after winning the French Open in May – and his second consecutive Wimbledon title.
“For me, it’s the most beautiful tournament, the most beautiful field and, obviously, the most beautiful trophy,” Alcaraz said afterwards.
The 21-year-old phenomenon joined seven-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic as the only winners of the tournament since 2017.
Alcaraz’s career is even more illustrious: he joins Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray as the only competitors to have won the trophy since 2010.
Before beating Djokovic, Alcaraz had beaten Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals in four sets, and had also eliminated American Tommy Paul, Frenchman Ugo Humbert and American Francis Tiafoe.
Tiafoe led two sets to one and forced a tiebreak in the fourth set before Alcaraz stepped up his game to overcome the heartbreaking challenge.
Alcaraz’s three-set victory marked only the second Wimbledon men’s singles final in which a single team has won a set since 2013.
Alcaraz’s quest for a third consecutive Grand Slam will come in August, when the tennis world descends on Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens for the U.S. Open.
The Spaniard will be looking to follow in Djokovic’s footsteps by winning three of the four Grand Slam events in a calendar year.
News Source : nypost.com
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