Tracy Austin reflects on Alcaraz beating Djokovic in three sets in the Wimbledon final.
Former two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin was impressed with Carlos Alcaraz’s performance versus Novak Djokovic to the point where she is starting to wonder if the 21-year-old Spaniard is “starting to separate himself” from the record 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Although it has been nearly a week since Alcaraz delivered a clinical performance to dismantle Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6 (4) in the Wimbledon final, the reactions are still coming in and it’s mostly people applauding the way that the Spaniard handled the business against the Serb.
And the latest to address Alcaraz’s second Wimbledon win is former world No. 1 Austin, who felt that the now four-time Grand Slam champion was “toying with Djokovic” during some parts of the match.
“It was exciting. At the end of the day, Carlos Alcaraz served incredibly well and returned incredibly well. Sometimes it seemed like he was, I don’t know, toying with Novak. It was just so good,” Austin said on Tennis Channel.
“You’re scratching your head like, ‘Now you’re taking tennis to another level,’ and this is very exciting where we can go when you think about Sinner and the athleticism he has.
Austin asks: Is Alcaraz starting to separate himself from Djokovic?
After absolutely dominating Djokovic in the opening two sets, Alcaraz kept playing extremely well in the third set but it became a much tighter contest simply because the record 24-time Grand Slam champion managed to raise his level in a big way. But Alcaraz didn’t allow a comeback to happen – instead he got the first break of the third set in the ninth game to open a 5-4 lead and have a chance to serve out for the match.
When the 10th game started, Alcaraz won the opening three points to clinch three consecutive championship points. Only then, the Spaniard showed signs of some nerves and ended up losing that game. However, it didn’t change much since the 21-year-old quickly put it past him and closed out the Djokovic final in three sets.
“Didn’t get nervous until he was serving 40-0. It was kind of fun that he had to kind of wiggle out of that and figure it out. To see Carlos get through and get his 4th major. Just building,” Austin added.
“I think it’s exciting for the next decade and a half to see where men’s tennis can go because there are a few in the conversation, but is Carlos starting to separate himself?”
Djokovic admitted he was not on Alcaraz’s level
For many years, Djokovic was an absolutely dominant force and he is the sole reason why many players concluded their careers without a Grand Slam title. But now, the 37-year-old Serb is in a position where he feels he needs to figure out a way to beat a stronger opponent than him.
“The way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court. He was a better player. That’s it. He played every single shot better than I did. I don’t think I could’ve done much more… he wasn’t allowing me to have free points on my serve,” Djokovic said.
“He played with a lot of variety. I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day yesterday. He really outplayed me… he was better than me in every aspect of the game.”
After issuing a major statement on Alcaraz’s performance, Djokovic also mentioned current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner – who defeated him in the Australian Open final. In his press, the Serb admitted that both Alcaraz and Sinner are currently a level above him and he needs to do something to change that.
“Being able to reach the final of Wimbledon gives a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a matchup today against the best player in the world right now for sure, other than Jannik, both of them are the best this year by far… I feel like I’m not at that level,” Djokovic added.
“In order to really have a chance to beat these guys in the Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m gonna have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today. It’s not something I haven’t experienced before in my life.. in the face of adversity, normally I rise, learn, & get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do.”
In a week, the Paris Olympics are starting and that will be Djokovic’s next chance at meeting Alcaraz and Sinner.
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