They all came: Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Andre Agassi, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales and 15,000 or so other fans willing to pay the entry price that started at $10,000. They came for a battle. They ended up with a clinic. In the 2024 Wimbledon men’s final—a rematch of last year—Carlos Alcaraz defended his title with a 6–2, 6–2, 7–6 defeat of Novak Djokovic. Though calling it simply a victory and a title defense sells it short.
The French Open winner six Sundays ago in Paris, Alcaraz pulled the Channel double in the most extraordinary fashion. In six rounds, he was at times spectacular, deploying his pyrotechnics, but also subject to lapses, losing sets in four of those first six matches. Today, against statistically the greatest player the sport has known, Alcaraz played at a level approaching flawless.
