Carlos Alcaraz might have beaten Novak Djokovic in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final, but he was still quite impressed with the Serbian's performance in London.
Only a few weeks before the grass-court major began, the seven-time champion was expected to miss Wimbledon after undergoing meniscus surgery following his withdrawal from the Roland Garros.
Recovering in time to play at the tournament was a brilliant achievement in itself because very few believed he could do it, including his surgeon. Another problem that Djokovic had was that the knee still bothered him.
He was hampered and unable to play his best tennis during the entirety of the event, including the final. It became obvious that he wouldn't be able to beat Alcaraz when he seemingly missed half a step for every shot, but he still played and battled, pushing the Spaniard to a tie-break in the third set of the match.
Overall, it's just been a hugely inspiring run against all odds, and Alcaraz recognized that. He spoke about it both during the on-court post-match interview and the press conference after the match.
Alcaraz used the phrase 'Superman' to describe Djokovic prior to the tournament, and according to him, it was very accurate also after two weeks in the British capital.
"Well, I still believe Novak is Superman. What he’s done in this tournament with surgery just a few weeks before the tournament began is amazing. It’s unbelievable."
"As I said on court, I was talking with my team that the work he’s done has been unbelievable. He gave himself the chance to be able to play the tournament.. Making the final is something out of this world for me. I beat him today. But for me, Novak is still Superman."
Djokovic is expected to look better and better with time, and he was vocal about his goals for this season being the Olympic Games in Paris and the US Open. By then, his knee should be healthy, so he could challenge for the trophy. He already did at SW19 against all odds.
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