Novak Djokovic admitted that he wasn't really feeling like himself at times during the 2023 Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
When Novak Djokovic closed out the opening set of the final match after only 34 minutes, many assumed that it would be him lifting the trophy, but it wasn't, as Carlos Alcaraz was declared the Wimbledon champion.
The 36-year-old Serb was the favourite to win the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, and it was largely down to how great he has been at the event for many years. The list of records backing that narrative is too long to name, but it was widely accepted that he was the most likely winner.
Alcaraz himself agreed with that but then on the court, the Spaniard showed he thought otherwise. He produced a great level to stun the Serbian and win his maiden Wimbledon trophy. It wasn't the best match from Djokovic and he certainly has some regrets as he told reporters during his post-match press conference.
I would say tiebreak in the second. The backhands kind of let me down, to be honest. Set point, I missed the backhand. He did play a backhand that was quite long in the court, had a little bit of a bad bounce. But I should not have missed that shot.
Then on 6-All, again, another backhand from middle of the court in the net. Just two very poor backhands. That's it. The match shifted to his side. It turned around. He just raised his level so much in the third. I wasn't myself for quite some time.
Djokovic played one of the weakest sets in the entire tournament in the 3rd set, kind of tanking the last game after losing a 26-minute game on his serve. Despite facing double break points early in the 4th, Djokovic managed to regroup but then was a bit unlucky in the final set. Still, he declared Alcaraz as the deserved winner.
I managed to regroup and regain the momentum midway in the fourth. I felt that the momentum shifted to my side. That was my chance. That was my opportunity. That break point, I think I played a really good point, kind of set up that drive volley.
Some regrets. I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tiebreaker better. But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth. He was a deserved winner today, no doubt.
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