Heading into Sunday’s Men’s Wimbledon Final, Carlos Alcaraz was the world No. 1. He already had at least one Grand Slam title under his belt — the 2022 US Open. The rap sheet of budding excellence was clearly present.
Still, it would’ve been fair to say few people saw a 20-year-old beating all-time great Novak Djokovic near the peak of his powers — with an Open record on the line — in such a significant tournament. The pre-match betting consensus had Djokovic as a -195 favorite over Alcaraz (+160). That’s not small positioning over someone ranked as the top player in the world — anything but.
And yet, Alcaraz won anyway, driving Djokovic to frustration and even coaxing a classy post-match compliment out of one of his tennis idols. In the process, Alcaraz became the first Men’s tennis player to win Wimbledon not named Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Andy Murray since … he was born. It’s literally been 20 years.
Given how Alcaraz kept winning breaks over Djokovic and putting him on the ropes in an epic five-set Final, I’d venture to say his win shouldn’t have come as a shock.
I would also happily take his current +160 odds to repeat as US Open champion next month:
US Open will be here before you know it 🎾 pic.twitter.com/ZcWqqX2XqR
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) July 16, 2023
Compared to stars like Djokovic, Alcaraz is only at the start of his career. He has a long way to go before his reputation precedes him.
But after Sunday’s conclusive win over a living tennis legend, it’s probably time people start wholly respecting what Alcaraz brings to a court — regardless of his competition.
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