100% agree. ESPN commentary is low quality compared to Gill's. Best tennis analysis in the business, with no need for any fancy editing and graphics. Just intelligent, articulate reviews of the big matches.
I'm a Novak fan, but congratulations to Alcaraz. The match was exhausting and with a lot of twists and turns. I cried for Novak, but I'm impressed with Alcaraz's perseverance. He is young but a very impressive player.
This is a proper Djokovic fan. Novak is crazy good, right now probably the best ever. But that doesn't take a way from a 20 year old that can go toe to toe with him and win against him.
For his age Carlos is possibly the most complete player I've ever seen. Not only can I not point to anything as a weakness, I would struggle to describe anything that isn't an outright strength. First serve, excellent. Second serve, incredibly difficult to attack. Forehand, elite. Backhand, excellent. Movement, elite. Touch, elite. Court sense, excellent. The scary thing is that he can conceivably get much better.
@@anupee1 Career hold percentage is around 82% but for 2023 it's 86% so he is trending upwards. Federer and Sampras are at 88% for their career. His serve is currently excellent but not quite elite. Give him another year though.
Amazing result and I was so impressed with Alcaraz's patience in rallies! His rally tolerance and willingness to suffer was so much higher than his peers'... always felt like Sinner and Rublev couldn't let a rally get to 10 shots without trying to hammer something, whereas - especially in the middle of the match - Alcaraz understood it was the right time to focus on keeping the ball in play, and putting pressure on Djoker to end points
Check this out: in the last game at 30-30 they had not only won the same number of games but also the same number of points at 166. Alcarez took the last 2 points and the title. Amazing match.
What a match for history! It had so many epic moments and film worthy narratives: Nole kicking Carlos' ass at the beginning made us all think "here we go again", Carlos breaking the 15 tie break streak to avoid going 2-0, the epic 26 minute Alcaraz's break game on the third which ultimately gives him the set, Djokovic's return to life on the fourth when he looked most vulnerable, and that great 5th set which you analysed in so much detail. I am so happy for Carlitos and for the tennis fandom, we finally got to enjoy the match the sport needed, even more after the disappointment from RG
That long game in the third may have had a mental effect. But Alcaraz was winning the third set anyway. Had Djokovic won that game Alcaraz just would have won the set 6-3 instead of 6-1
It feels to me that those of us who have had the privilege to follow the rise of Carlitos from various wildcard entries to that sensational Madrid Open win in '21 just aren't saying what they know in their bones - that he is like no other. At least that's how it feels to me. Every other match up feels flat compared to an Alcaraz one. When I watch his footwork I compare him to ballet dancers, to Muhammed Ali. His shot making is extraordinary. His power and movement breathtaking. The most staggering thing is this is just the beginning. Added to this, relevant or not, is his personality - graceful, humble and respectful.
So happy for Carlos, I was so excited. He continued his incredible record in finals. Amazing final game. He found a way to win even without leaning on perfect timing his forehand, or the dropshot etc. It does feel huge being that the run Novak had was pretty incredible.
Alcaraz definitely has that sports IQ to adjust his game as needed. This is one of the key factors in being one of the best rather than just great. We saw it with all the big 3 as well.
Alcaraz achieved the labor of Hercules, here. He is constantly improving as well. His coach, Fererro, has done a great job. Alcaraz, is going to be something, special.
Hi Gill, I think it’s very hard to comments without out bias, but you do excellent job, thank you 🙏🏻 As recreational club tennis player I learn lot from your tennis analysis, can’t wait for US open analysis 🙏🏻🥰🥇🏆you are champion on your own right
great video Gill. One thing I'll point out (that is missed by most commentators) is that even though Novak hasn't won 4 slams in a Jan-Dec calendar year, between 2015 Wimbledon and 2016 French Open he was the winner of all 4 grand slam tournaments. He won 2015 Wimbledon, 2015 US open, 2016 Australian open and 2016 French Open so he has already won 4 slams in a row once before and the fact he did this isn't talked about by the media.
Gil, your analysis is special. Not like the rest in the level of quality depth and insight. It's a joy to watch, and it always leaves me with interesting thoughts and ideas that I hadn't (couldn't have) thought about on my own. You're a generational tennis commenter! ;)
This loss is huge and very surprising (unthinkable) to Novak and his team! Unlike losing straight sets to Meddy in 2021 UO, this is a 5-set battle in WO Final, a scenario, stage and surface where Novak would normally win over Roger or Rafa or anyone else in his way. Carlitos hasn't played much on grass in his whole career so far, but still played like a veteran in this Final. If Carlitos could dethrone Novak in AO 2024, it would fully confirm the Alcaraz era has officially arrived. Hope these 2 would meet again in 2023 UO Final.
Historically athletes go through slumps though. Alcaraz seemingly has played some perfect matches in this past year, it’s hard to believe he can sustain that. The GOAT will not take this loss lightly.
The last time Djokovic beat Nadal at WB was in an indoor court ( Djokovic’s best and Rafa’s worst) and he barely squeak by in a 5th set tie break where Rafa had match points. So it is not normally that he would beat Rafa…..
@@williamwong4832 The fact is Novak has beaten Rafa in all 5-set matches, except for 13 FO semi. Don't forget Novak was coming from the lowest point of his career at 2018 WO even the closed roof may favored Novak a bit. Rafa was not aggressive enough in certain points of that match which costed him the match. Champions don't accept excuses. 2020 FO final was played under closed roof too, and Rafa killed Novak.
@@DavidGao1988 Novak quitted in a few of their earlier matches too. That prevented Rafa from winning more 5 set matches. With there H2H quite close, it speaks highly of Rafa needing less than 5 sets to beat Djokovic actually/
Thanks Gill. What an epic match! Well done Alcaraz for doing the near impossible. Against any other player, Djokovic would have secured his 24th, but the fact is that Alcaraz is unlike any other player. The worrying thing for the other top players is the big gap between them and these two finalists. We have a cross generational rivalry and I'm excited to see what happens at the USO.
It really is exciting. We've seen many many rivalries, but never cross generational like this as you say. Hopefully guys like Rune and Sinner can step it up to be able to compete with Alcaraz regularly.
Carlos is a real star. He proved that today. The other young guys show flashes, but they simply don’t compare. Carlos will force all of the others to step up their game, and that will usher in the new era.
I doubt if the others can steup their game?.. I think going forward as Novak ages and retires, the field will be weaker and completely one sided dominated by Carlos. I wouldnt be surprised if he wins multiple calendar slams.
Carlos rewrote tennis history. He prevented Novak from matching both Federer (8 titles) and Borg / Federer (5 in a row). Also the French/Wimbledon double for a second time and a potential calendar slam and the No.1 ranking as well as undisputed greatest status. This was incredibly significant. Much more than people realize.. Carlos is the most complete player i have ever seen at 20. Generational talent. And he is still developing. Wait and watch.
@@dushandvr5765 Undisputed in his era. He already has 23. But winning the calender slam would have sealed, stamped and closed all arguments. Not just his generation. For all time so far. The CYGS is the ultimate achievement. He came very close though in 2021. Also Borg has 3 French Wimbledon doubles but that while significant is not as big as a CYGS.
@@z1az285 Laver has 2 cygs and I don't think it can seal the deal if player don't possess most slams.... So most slams are sealer, especially if he has more than 23. Yes it would seal the deal for Djoko... But even 2-3 slams more are enough to seal the deal without cygs
@@dushandvr5765 Yes, but one of lavers CYGS was as an amateur, so that doesn't count. While the ATP tour structure changed in 1990 and honesty one can't compare eras for that reason, Novak is absolutely the best in his era because he held all 4 slams once, just not in the same year. Like Martina Navratilova. But winning a CYGS is the holy grail. That is tennis immortality, especially in this era. Like I said, Carlos win had huge implications. We will see how the future unfolds.
Nice video - I like how, even though you tend to hone in on patterns (for good reason), you are also willing to recognize rare matches like this where there aren't dominant patterns that explain the match... still, there are some patterns that mattered in key points, even if they don't occupy a ton of the 'pie chart', and I liked the ones you focus on - Alcaraz's slice backhand was key for setting up his forehand, as you noted. I also loved how Alcaraz was often taking his inside-out forehand as a heavy, loopy, shaped ball, rather than solely as a flat, penetrating ball (see crucial 4-4 point in the tiebreak). Conventionally, this would seem like more of a clay court play than a grass court play, but it was working for him well since Queens, and it earned a lot of attackable balls through Novak's high backhand. Taken together, I love how Alcaraz is using elements of both Federer's (ie, slice backhand) and Nadal's (ie, ultra-heavy forehand to Novak's backhand) approaches for effectively building points against Novak on grass, and earning attackable balls - and then finishing on those attackable balls with his own signature repertoire (e.g., drop shots, lobs, shots we don't have names for...). More generally, beyond sheer entertainment value, I find myself desperately wanting as many matches as possible between Novak and Carlitos (and all other top young players) so that as much as possible of the accumulated wisdom of the Big 3 can be 'transmitted' to those players - something that can only happen through high-stakes, competitive matchplay, rather than watching old matches or even being coached by them. And I don't mean 'transmitted' in a passive sense; each young player will force Novak to do different things in different conditions, and they will all respond in their own ways - and through that process they will 'access' the accumulated wisdom of the Big 3 before their rarified knowledge is no longer accessible (ie, Nadal and Novak retire, and no one ever has another opportunity to play/learn from them in matches like this). It is analogous to Novak being the last person alive who speaks a language (a language developed by three goats over two decades), and it is a race against time for the young ones to learn as many words as possible before he is gone (ie, retires) and the language is lost to history. My earliest tennis memories are from Federer's ascendancy, and now that we are in the twilight of Novak and Rafa's careers, I increasingly feel the weight of time and what it means for all that accumulated knowledge - and that makes me feel so thankful for the match we got to witness yesterday.
Good try but no, more than 20 years watching. Been fan of Federer, Agassi, Williams, Sempras, McEnroe and Sharapova. Alcaraz won because he is younger, faster, hungrier and just don't give up like a younger version of Novak. He is not number 1 for nothing plus he beat Novak before so it wasn't out of possibility.
Gill absolutely sensational coverage of Wimbledon throughly enjoyed all your videos it has enhanced an already incredible event. I'm stunned by how amazing Carlitos is he is the greatest tennis talent I've ever seen. Can't wait to see whats next for him and how the others especially Novak respond.
Yes. Very exciting. What would make it even better is if Rune can up his game to close to Alcaraz and a rivalry there occurs. Novak won't be around too much longer, but we can expect at least another year or two of epic battles I think. Agree with Gill that this is renewed motivation.
Kid put the HAMMER down on Djokovic in the fifth set. Crazy. At 20. Even if you say 'he's too young to know better'...mentally that's a hell of an accomplishment.
Very rightly put when you mentioned Alcaraz could be the new motivational factor for Djokovic.The rivalry won't last long like the one with Rafa or Federer but certainly can fuel Djokovic 's interest that much more...
Gill, greetings from Serbia, just want to say it's a pleasure to watch your takes, probably the best - least biased and well explained vids on the YT. It's such a simple and 'normal' thing yet very rare these days. Best regards
Djo had no competition and he hasn't had any for the last 5 years, everytime he's had comp, he's lost other than rg 21 (where rafa had no movement cuz of his foot injury). No he has comp, he's lost, and on Carlos' worst surface as well. If Carlos stays healthy, djo is not winning another slam again
@@innosanto yes i went too far back, 2020 onwards. no federer, no nadal from rg 2021 onwards. i mean rafa literally came back from 8 months off and chronic foot injury to win 2 slams last year even one on his worst surface, literally proves that djo has had no comp. all of his competitors (rafa roger murray) have had career ending injuries and he's been so lucky to not have one. so yeah he better have won all those grand slams. rafa and especially federer wouldve done the same as novak has done recently if the roles were reversed
Well you can say that about every player, they cant compete is strong eras all the time. Federer and Nadal pre Djokovic era and especially when Federer took last Wibledon and Australian open while Djokovic was injured and Nadal AO because of Djokovic ban. Djokovic dominated in my opinion the strongest era wich was over 2019
Djokovic’s words raise an eyebrow, when he called him the best of the big 3, with the best qualities from each. This kid can blow everyone out of the water if he continues this trajectory.
Thank you for always making us enjoy tennis with your wonderful analysis of not only the players but the game. Iparticularly enjoy when you cover Wimbledon ,being biased as I’m British 😂
Carlos was absolutely incredible. I wouldn't go as far as passing of the torch, but this match showed that there is now a player that can legitimately match up with Novak even with the other big 3 players not there. It's a beautiful moment when the eras are finally colliding. It's taken a long time, but we finally have a young player worthy of the crown.
Carlos learns from mistakes. He also has a 'reset button' - he loses the first set and lets it go and goes for it in the second set. Compare this with say Zverev who would slump and even give up a bit... He is tenacious. He is such a nice young man too! He is a complete player and human being. I just love him so much! He and Rafa are my two all-time favorite players!
Gill, why are people talking about the wind being a disadvantage to Novak when he is a defensive player? Carlos is the aggressive one whose game is more prone to errors in windy conditions.
Exactly. The wind was there for both players and ultimately Carlos adapted better to the conditions as the match went on. Sure, Nole netted and overhit a lot of first serves, struggling with the ball toss in the conditions but then Carlos also hit long a lot of otherwise standard returns and baseline shots and racked up the UEs. He realised that given the conditions, a huge factor in turning the match around would be to reduce his UE count after the first set, by playing with more margin for error and not going for broke on every other shot in the rallies, forcing Nole to be the one to redline and end the points quicker.
Yes the wind affects both players but what Gil was saying was that it affected Novak on crucial points, which it did. Moreover, it got into his head on that point where he should’ve hit the overhead but dumped the half volley into the net. In the big picture, Alcaraz played better on the big points, so the wind isn’t an excuse to why Novak lost, but it played a small part.
I like how Carlos' game mutates throughout the match - he has power, finesse, and poise. I don't see anyone on the current tour posing a threat to him, on any surface. There's Carlos, then Djoker, then a bigger divide from the rest. Maybe someone from the juniors will pop up in the next few years, but it looks like Carlos owns the current landscape. For Djoker, still impressive for what he's done this year at 36.
Finaly, someone who can stand up to novak! So refreshing to see a true competitor that is not afraid after a generation of great players that crumbled in the big moments. The way alcares closed the match says it all and novak recognized it in his speech. As a fan that’s what I want to see. Yes carlos has all the shots and all the weapons but it is the fighting spirit that makes him truly special
Kudos to Djokovic for fighting like that. Most players would've collapsed after the third set but he put so much pressure on Alcaraz to win that fourth set.
Salute to Novak for the fight he putted. His serve was just not working at all. Forget service winners. He wasnt even making 1st serve in. He had to hold earning every point. He blow out his adv on grass. Still take it to 5 sets.
"Dethroned" is not an apt descriptive for a guy with 23 Majors' titles who lost Wimbledon by the most razor thin of margins. In fact it's insulting. Carlos was terrific all the way through for his win but he knows the longtime former King is but a Masters 1000 and a NYC win away from reassuming his place on the throne.
Incredible effort from Carlos- he would not let this one get away, and in the process at 20 has already gained his place in the Tennis Hall of Fame (two slams, four Masters and #1 for 29 weeks and counting should do it). Looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes next!
What some of you are missing is - his speed of learning is impeccable..unseen.. within only 9 months he increase serve speed by a lot, started spot serving, and kick serve is simply best. Remember he out served Novak in finals including aces. He just needs to remain healthy and skip some tournaments in a year
They will never. Djokovic epitimizes what the mainstream doesn't Want. He doesn't eat GMO, concerns about what he takes in, work hard to stay physically fit, engages in pseudo-sciene like that energy drink and ironman pin, espouses about the "Theory of Attraction", etc. He also came from Serbia, a anti-NATO nation. Sorry, I just cannot come to support anyone other than Djokovic after what the world has been through the last few years with lockdowns, vaxx mandates, etc. Anyone that tags the official narratives are just minions.
@@rksleung Nope ! Djokovic epitomizes poor sportsmanship in men's tennis, just like Serena does in women's tennis. He lied and cheated trying to sneak his way in the 22 AO. Australia was right to deport him He is good friends with Chetniks, WWII war criminals, and war criminals on the 1991-1993 time frame. (Photos of his meetings with Dodik and Jolović, well-known Serbian war criminals, can be easily found online) At this year's RG he declared that Kosovo is the heart of Serbia, which outed hms as Greater Serbia nationalist.
Car-los! Car-los! Honestly, I wasn't sure this would be his year! He surprised me, - and I'm sure many others! 😮 What a spectacular run! It was fitting that it happened this way; I hope this will open then door for his generation - and the rest of the tour!. Djoko was definitely surprised at Alcaraz's play. He thought this win was in the bag! Uh-uh! This made my weekend! Congratulations to Carlos Alcaraz winning his first Wimbledon and second slam. (Gil you were putting it on a bit thick, bud.)🏆
This is a great point. Alcaraz was having fun on the court, enjoying the moment of being in a wimbledon final against the best of all time. That is why he was able to win. But now he only talks about ludicrous goals like becoming the goat and winning every tournament. He lost the focus on the process and started focusing on the goals instead. Too ambitious goals. In fact they can't be called goals because they require 10-15 years of consistent mastery, good health and luck. They are dreams, and dreams are dangerous if you lose track of the moment.
Among the Fab 3 who is🐐 GOAT might be debatable for different invidual...but Escape from Alcaraz is going to be a nightmare from henceforth if he keeps himself injury free... The guy is a beast...at 20 he has already mastered Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Ruud , Rune , Sinner, Sasha etc...The service game he played for the Championship was a true masterclass against the best returner of all time.
Not Sinner though. The rest dont have the fullness of game and Sinner doesnt also byt he has some elements that he Plays. Djokovic does have the fullness but is required his great focus.
@@toddjohnson271 I am not a statistical guy....the guy who made me love with the game is Roger, the guy who made me believe in comebacks is Rafa.... But Novak has possibly all important records barring Olympic gold in either category...so it's not fair to say who is the 🐐...just yet ...but if Nole wins the Gold and may be reaches 25-30 slams the debate itself will be meaningless
@@toddjohnson271 I never said Roger was or is greatest...I only said Roger made me fall in love with the game with his style of play... Novak has winning records both against Roger/Rafa... Let's enjoy Novak and Rafa till they are playing mate! We will never witness another Roger/Rafa/Novak in our lifetime
Great breakdown Gill! Novak fan here, five hours of tennis with an L, but it's all good. Like Novak said, he recovered and won some matches where he was the lesser player.
Yes! ! Finally!! Not complaining, you do a TON of coverage, including 3, but I couldn't wait to hear this 😂 Btw, the "real" winner? IBM Watson had Alcaraz at 55%!!
This final makes me kinda sad that Nole and Rafa are so old now, i wish we could see them battle with Carlitos a couple more years on the highest level. It was such a pleasure and joy to watch this final and the level of play. Even Nole hadn't his best day, but oh boy was is on high level still from both players. Carlitos, if he stays healthy and keeps this mindset trough out his career, we are will witness greatness on top level and i am all in for that. It was def for me one of the best finals in a very long time
Gill Gross You were putting down Alcaraz so much before the match; you owe him an apology. I love Novak but so exceedingly happy for Alcaraz that he won. He played an excellent game and for him to do so well on grass it's amazing. Congratulations CARLITO 🇨🇦🙌💖
He's been better than Novak over the last year. Both have 2slams but Carlos is 2-1 against him and Carlos didn't play ao so that was a freebie for Novak.
I'm sad for Djokovic, such a champ. But at the same time, happy for Alcaraz. That guy brings so much joy to the game and always has a positive attitude. It's kinda infectious!
Cannot agree with you more on the Djokovic motivation section. I believe that his push from Wimbledon last year to this year’s Roland Garros, a stretch where he has been near invincible in the majors and the atp finals, was fuelled by his enforced absence in the first half of 2022 alongside Nadal pushing ahead in the slam race. It’s simply unfathomable how much more he can push himself if he went all the way to the calendar slam with that in mind. This match proved that he still has challenges to conquer, and that he is more than capable of tackling them. All the best to him in the north american hard courts.
There will never be another Novak Djokovic for what he has been through on and off court . Politics , COVID , ATP issues , paid hecklers , media lies , umpires , treats to his children , poor background , war in his country , crowd that hate him just because he is best ....
Marat Safin was 20 when he destroyed Pete Sampras, who was 30 and a record holder Grand Slam at the time. 2009 Federer should have won that match, was ahead, but his errors and stubborness cost him the match 2023 Djokovic should have won if he´d played good, not great just good. Look how he put himself in a position of a two set to love lead, 3-0 in the tiebreaker, 6-5 set point and commiting rare errors that he normaly doesnt make. Its not that Alcaraz produced winners from all over and beat Djokovic at that moment. Also: The wind was a big factor which denied his toss to be efective all match, look how he struggled with it all match ... even in that regard, serving badly, with no first serves at all during all the match and with a lot of errors, he put himself in a position of a 5th set break point opportunity to be break up in that last set. So great win for Carlos Alcaraz, congratulations to him but it was Djokovic who lost it, he played bad yesterday. Also the umpire warning him during the tiebreaker affected him. The system and Wimbledon wanted Djokovic to lose since day 1, even before, ignoring him in the propaganda of the tournament, that was shameful. So dont get things out of proportion and let the emotions dominate the situation. It was Djokovic who played badly and lost it. You even predicted Djokovic winning in 5 sets, which he should have after recovering from all his errors that let Alcaraz lead 2 sets to 1. And even from what i saw yesterday, your prediction would have stayed short of what SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Djokovic should have won in 3 sets, not even 4 or 5. Finally and again ... if he´d played good, normal, like everyday, he would have won his 8th WImbledon title. Did Alcaraz blew Djokovic out of the court (like Safin did with Sampras in 3 sets) with winners form all over confirming the new generation time had arrived? No he did not. Its not the first time Djokovic loses to a youngster before, its not the first time that he will absolutely ... the thing is Djokovic still SHOULD HAVE WON. Alcaraz felt no pressure at all ... in RG he felt pressured and failed. I still put Djokovic as a favourite to win the US Open, with the level that he was playing up to that 6 - 5 in the second set. He was FLYING like a never seen him before. If Djokovic plays good, even at 36 years old, just good, he should beat Alcaraz in New York in a potential final there.
I really think a decisive factor on this match was Alcaraz serve to the body of Djokovic he did a lot of times and did it well..he prevented djokovic best weapon which is the return…
Finally this nonsense of him not being the rightful Number one can be put away. Trying to say well if Novak was there , he might not of this that etc. Yesterday Novak played has good as he’s ever played. Out playing everyone up until the final. Of course it was close, but all epic matches are. 6.4 in the 5th. Wow. And losing the first set the way he did only makes this win just that more special. My feeling now is other players now will have more confidence in playing Novak. Especially has he wasn’t injured or coming back from injury. He just got out played by in Novaks words a better player, Carlos was so calm serving in the 5th set . Bravo Carlos Alcaraz. Thanks Gill Gross your channel is so unbiased, and you just say it as it is.
About time lol! I am so over that argument. I hope his fans can finally chill and just move on from the stolen Wimby points convo and well Novak didn’t play the USO if he was there … blah blah blah! Carlos beat Novak fair square. He was simply the better player that day.
Really great analysis, Gill. I think Alcaraz won as much as novak lost - Novak couldn't get his mind back the way he normally would after losing the second set tie break - that was monumental to the outcome, as monumental as carlos closing down the 5th. His variety was truly impressive.
Just want to say thank u Gil, your tennis content is by far the best on youtube and I learn so much by watching your videos in terms of how I watch players and matches, it is awesome thanks man ✌🏽
Carlitos rapid improvement alongside his domination of the rest of the tour will hopefully inspire some of his current peers to embrace that process of improvement. And one day, they might stand alongside carlitos However, it has to be said that carlitos is a generational talent with freakishly high rate of improvement. It wont be easy to match
Re Rublev/Sinner &etc No worries Gill, you're only repeating what many of us have been saying all along- none of these guys is anywhere near good enough to match Novak even at 36 yo. It's ridiculous. They've had 15 years of watching & chance to learn from the best of the best and every single one (except Rune) has squandered their chances. Too much money sloshing around & not enough hunger. Sinner is at least making changes in an effort to improve but this 'power is everything' mentality is the pits.
It may take players 5-6 years younger, like Rafa and Nole are to Roger, in order to compete. I would look at the ones who are 15 now. Hewitt, Rodick, Safin, Nalbandian... are Roger's generation and they didn't step up to the challenge. Safin showed he had the potential, beating Sampras and Roger in slam finals, but he didn't have the dedication.
Only Novak can stop Carlos . Once Novak retires Carlos will win everything next ten years . Spectators should be on Novak side now to make him stay few more years and save tennis . It's not just hecklers now it's umpires too , they are killing the enjoyment of watching tennis .
Carlitos is the new Wimbledon Sherriff in town! Rest of this is same comentary as on The Three vid. Thanx Gill. NoleFanMilan feeling very good after set 1; feeling very deflated and dissapointed after set 2 tiebreaker (crushed! - better wording!) Then set 3 feeling very deflated & worried. Then feeling very hopeful & revived after set 4 and then on pins for all of set 5! Yup! Two missed backhands in set 2 were like...WTF...just happened! EPIC match. Still recovering and grieving! LOL 🙂 Will Novak come back extra motivated? Will Nole recover? If Carlitos wins USO-23, then AO-24? Now, the target and the wimbledon crown has passed to Carlos AND there's a new Wimbledon sherriff in town🙂Crushing crushing defeat for a NoleFan in this moment. Now I know how FedHeads felt about 2019! Whoa! No torch-passing yet. Think Novak has a bit of extra motivation and he will retool and retweak tactics. The spideyman will bounce back. The torch passes if Carlitos keeps on dominating in 2024 at the GS's. In the meantime, will grieve and lament and dust off my attachments & expectations now that Novak has lost AT WIMBLEDON! Crushing! Enough out of me. Cheers, Milan
A week before the start of the grass-court season nobody gave a euro for Alcaraz as the favourite to win Wimbledon. It was Sinner, Djoko,..... but Alcaraz didn´t even appear within the top five candidates. He wins Queens and Wimbledon. What does that tell us? It seems to me to suggest that, as Gill says, Alcaraz's ability to learn is so enormous that even the experts can't conceive of it. At this point, the only thing that could stand in the way of him reaching the big 3 (apart from a possible physical problem) will be a lack of motivation after winning everything and not having an opponent to match him.
To me the match came down to both Alcaraz’ great performance but also some unclutchness on Djokovic’s part. In particular the shot selection (dropshot?!) and backhand errors in 2nd set tiebreak and that forehand drive at the beginning of 5th set. Also, playing with wind naturally favours the more powerful player Alcaraz over a more timing-based player like Djokovic.
If he wins that tie break , then match would have been finished in 3 . He missed the set point by making an unforced error . It usually doesn’t happen with nole but he choked in that tie break and lost the match .
He got out played, Alcaraz got in Novak head because he mixed his game up, stop making excuses for Novak, Alcaraz beat him. Alcaraz made all you analysts look silly, everyone went for Novak, he beat him fair and square, no racket smashing, no milking the time clock, no loud shouting to your box, no the wind to high, he suppose to be the experienced player. Great match Alcaraz 👏
Below is the the best analysis of the Wimbledon 2023 FINAL match , a generational event that defied all odds: from French Open choke to divine sheer pleasure in the joy of Tennis. "God made me to play Tennis, and when I play I feel God's pleasure" (my paraphrase from "Chariots of Fire"
I think biggest problem for Djokovic was 1st serve placement accuracy. Every close to the line serve was out. I guess wind played a role in that, and then pressure built up given Alcaraz was returning well. Just that bit of developing tightness is all it takes to lose that 2nd set and then it got complicated. 2nd biggest problem.was of course Alcaraz speed. He got to most balls even when Nole was attacking. Thisnwas especially true as the match went on. Ithat 32 point game, I almost wanted Nole to give that up, because those balls were gone and useless at that point. Gave the returner all the practice they needed to feel the ball and read the server. I think that game just enabled Alcaraz to be more free. Not meant to be for Nole this time, but he has 2 slams maybe more left in him. People will forget, and even i think Gill didn't mention it. Alcaraz won by 2 points here! 2 points. That's what it takes, even on grass to defeat Djokovic. So this inthink will continue to be a competitive rivLry in the next 1-2 years
What Carlos just did is monumental. Not only did he beat Djokovic in a slam final, but he did it at probably his weakest slam, and one where Djokovic was favored over the WHOLE field, having even odds to win the thing. In other words, Djokovic was given a higher chance to win than everyone else in the draw combined. Alcaraz was also handed a complete nightmare of a draw, but he established clear dominance over the whole field before beating Novak. I disagree on the point about nerves. I think Alcaraz showed plenty of nerves here. In the first set he came out disastrously bad. We’ve seen slow starts from Carlos, but this was really poor from him. Lost the first set 1-6, but he bounced back nicely. From there, he was so clutch to win that second set tiebreak, facing a set point to go down 2 sets to 0, and then in the third set he broke Djokovic’s resistance by winning that 26 minute game. But with the momentum solidly in Alcaraz’s favor, his serve just fell apart. In a match where Alcaraz’s serve was great, and a tournament where his serve was near flawless, Alcaraz hit 4 key double faults in the 4th set, and it was the main reason he lost it. These free points were enough for Djokovic to get two breaks on him, and even when he didn’t DF, he was missing a lot of first serves. But then came the fifth set, which was super impressive by Carlos. He saved a break point in his first service game, which could’ve been disastrous. Then at 1-1, he broke Djokovic’s serve after an awesome rally ending with a backhand passing shot. I think most of us didn’t expect Alcaraz to be able to hold out the set; young guy, first grand slam final, against the greatest returner of all time? Seems like he’ll need a second break for insurance. But he didn’t. Alcaraz just found ways to keep holding. A second serve ace to go up 5-3 was super clutch, and in the final game, he had a couple of loose misses, but also a clutch drop shot+lob, a sick lunging volley that most players wouldn’t have been able to cover, and some great serving/composure got him to the finish line. I suspect from here on out, Alcaraz will come in with fewer nerves against Djokovic, and will turn in more consistent performances than this one. Djokovic’s job is only gonna get harder, because I still believe grass is Alcaraz’s worst surface, as insane as it is to say after he just won Queen’s and Wimbledon back to back. Djokovic may be able to beat him at the AO, but RG and US Open feel like Carlos’s territory. One last thing: if it wasn’t already clear, Carlos is a step ahead of every other young player. Don’t compare Sinner to him. Rune isn’t close yet, though one day he definitely has the potential to close the gap quite a bit. Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev are all so many steps behind Alcaraz. And the scary thing is, Alcaraz has shown steady improvement for the past 2 years. He’s only getting better.
This is the most on-point comment here IMHO. I’d argue that grass *was* Carlos’ weakest surface, but in the space of a month he’s now become the best grass court player on the tour not named Novak Djokovic. It’s just an unbelievable talent for learning and insane progression from such a young player. We will see how the USO plays out. Djokovic with renewed motivation and wanting revenge is going to be a big factor of course, but if he was surpassed by Carlos on a faster, lower bounce surface like grass where a polished game, refined technique and a lot of experience go a long way…I just can’t see it getting any easier for the Serb on slower, higher bounce courts like the USO and RG where Carlos’ youth, athleticism, raw power, nearly infallible drop shots and familiarity with the surfaces give him the edge. Lastly, and I think this is something that has been overlooked about this final: Djokovic at times, suddenly looked old out there. If you count the number of falls and slips each man had out there on the day, I can only recall 1 bad fall from Carlos way behind the baseline during all of the rallies. Everything else was just a minor slip here and there. Nole on the other hand? I can recall at least 4 bad falls - 2 awkward splits that on another day may have been a bad knee injury, one dive onto the ground trying to reach a net shot from Carlos and a nearly sprained ankle as his leg/foot gave way to a fall on the baseline. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Djokovic nearly broke his body 4 or 5 times today just trying to keep up with and outdo Alcaraz. It looked a lot like a 36 year old thinking they’re still a 26 year old, trying to keep up with a 20 year old. And unfortunately for Nole, physically pushing himself to that extent to match Carlitos (and risking a potentially career-ending injury) just isn’t sustainable. Novak has maybe 1-2 years max to spar with Carlos, and that’s if the Spaniard doesn’t steam roll absolutely everyone on every surface from here on out for the next decade.
@@AlboravinI think Djokovic and Alcaraz are the top 2 on every surface, and no one is particularly close to them except maybe Medvedev on hard courts. I will say that Alcaraz dismantled the field on grass and showed that he has a matchup advantage over everyone, whereas Djokovic still looked like he could be bothered by certain play styles. So in a way, I almost wanted to say Alcaraz is better on grass, but it’s only 2 tournaments so I can’t draw too big of a conclusion off it. I think Novak has looked a little old for a while. He’s gotten VERY lucky with draws, and other players have just shrunk when playing him, but realistically he has looked old and weary for a bit now. It could just be the wear and tear of winning everything, but age is catching up. However the way he hits the forehand and serve nowadays should give him some time. Nadal looked the same the last few years, but was clinging onto a high enough level to win. One thing though, Nadal had much better hand skills and power to keep himself afloat. Then again, Djokovic makes up for this in his return of serve and serve. Either way, I think Djokovic needs a much better performance if he plays Alcaraz at the USO, because if he turned in this performance again, I could see Alcaraz beating him much easier. Alcaraz is my clear favorite at the USO. I’d put Medvedev second. Medvedev should be able to dismantle the field, and I even think he could beat a worn-down Djokovic. But Alcaraz has shown he has such a big matchup advantage over Medvedev. Not only was their Wimbledon match a beatdown, but Alcaraz looked extremely relaxed and confident from the start. He was bouncing around and experimenting throughout the first set. It felt like a stark contrast from the Djokovic and Rune matches, where he came out super tense in the first set, and even when he eased up he seemed visibly desperate to close the match. Let’s see how Novak responds. Alcaraz is so complete that I genuinely don’t know what weakness Djokovic can prey on. But he has to find a way to make Alcaraz make unforced errors. I don’t know how. Playing defense won’t work because Alcaraz is perfectly willing to finish at net. I don’t think Djokovic has the means to overpower him, and that’s a tough ask for anyone at this point.
Congratulation to a better player Alcaraz. But why the word "dethrone". Djokovic is on the throne with 23 slams, 389 weeks as number 1, 38 masters..... Roger is on the throne in Wimbeldon, Nadal i Paris, Djokovic in Australia.... Alcaraz did not dethrone anybody, anywhere, in any of the statistics. He just won one game against Djokovic. And he may in 20 years dethrone everybody indeed. He is so good. But he has not done it yesterday. Just a great win.
I am so sorry for Novak but happy for Alcatraz he brings so much happiness and pleasure to watch him amazing match thank you Gill you’re the best love your analysis ❤️👍👏🙏🇬🇧
Gill:). Just an amazing analysis man! You’ve helped me so much to look at the game in so many new ways. And also to help me understand what players are thinking when they prepare for each point. Incredible bro, and thank you:) Big win for Carlitos. Tennis really needed this. US open will sure be exciting now!:) And I fully agree with your take on Novak. Motivation etc. if he won the calendar slam. You are dead on bro. And I loved your counter to Joel when he brought up Sampras. And you said well, what if Borg had 15 slams? It makes so much sense what you said. Love it Gill:)
I was worried after the first set but Alcaraz settled down and adjusted his game to make a match of it. Great match and so refreshing having a brand new Wimbledon champion. Hopefully the likes of Sinner & Rune can take inspiration and improve to challenge for these prestigious majors
@user-wq2wp7pi7r Rune and Sinner are in their early twenties, so calling them the next Tsonga and berdych is crazy considering Novak also wasn't at an elite level until later in his years. Medvedev already won a GS (and has the 2nd highest titles currently on tour), so you can't pit him in the same lines as Steph or Zverev, who have yet to win a GS. Rune and Sinner will improve as they have shown already. I believe it'll be similar to the WTA with how far ahead Iga was from everyone else, then Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Jabeur came along and balanced out the competition. They'll be a "re-balancing" in the ATP soon.
@user-wq2wp7pi7r and just to add on that. Rune has reached consistent QF of GS, finals of masters, won Paris against Novak himself, and beat multiple top 10 players. At the very least, you can't put Rune on that tier
great analyses as always, many thanks to all of us who want to understand this incredible game of tennis. this is not the Critique, just my observation about Alcaraz. many people, you included are saying that he's not so good when being rushed, and that is true. what I've seen in this match was: it was not the opponent rushing him, it was Carlos himself on many many occasions. maybe it has something to do with the sense of time, and in his case, he thinks he tends to think/perceive that he has less time than is the actual case. point is: he is often rushing himself. reaching for the ball, when he doesn't need to. another thing, which is related is patience. you can blame it on the youth and it would be fair in general, but Carlos showed us that he can be patient if he is focused on it as he showed in Miami against Medvedev. now on Djokovic side of things - he lost his legs in 3rd set after that gruelling 3-1 game, and even when he got his legs back again in 4th, Carlos out moved him in 5th. something that no one did on this court before. (maybe Murray?) last but not least- mental game. It was not all "Hakuna Matata" for Carlos, no matter what he said before the match. he got pretty frustrated and pissed off at himself, but the question is: who got more negative, more frustrated in the course of 5 sets? Novak. that's who. in any case, this is what I was hoping for, no matter the outcome. a great, epic match. and we got that. and it was lost and won not in one decisive pattern, but in so many ways, physical, technical, strategic, and mental, so I can say with confidence: the winner of this Wimbledon final was tennis at its highest peak.
I was on the Alcaraz can beat Novak on grass camp early. I still think ppl are over blowing this changing of the guard narrative. It was an extremely close match and i don’t think Novak brought his A game, especially on serve. Alcaraz is going to win a bunch of majors, and probably end with the career H2H advantage, but Novak will still win a few in the next couple years.
@@kingnole4237yea no I think Alcaraz will probably win the H2H career matchup. I don’t think he’s going to completely steam roll Novak is all, at least for the next 2 years or so. This match turned on a couple points. It really could have gone either way.
I’ve heard people compare this to Fed beating Sampras but to me, a better comp is McEnroe Borg. Sampras was pretty much done (although his 2002 US Open run was fun) and Fed had a few years until he started dominating. Djokovic clearly has a lot left and Alcaraz has definitely arrived as the best player in the world. Same in 1981, McEnroe beating Borg signaled his arrival as the best in the world. Borg still had plenty in the tank but chose to retire instead unfortunately. The changing of the guard notion may be overblown but it definitely signaled the arrival of the next era of tennis. The future appears to be in good hands with Alcaraz.
Regarding your comment on the second set set point, since djokovic missed 2 easy backhands prior , he prolly did not want to get to a rally on set point and decided he will go to the net on first serve. If it was djokovic's set point he would not have done that. And regarding your predictions I hope the fans now understand your tennis acumen and though you got both the roland garros and wimbledon prediction wrong , I think you made the best guess based on game strengths and it was a surprising outcome in both cases. Predictions should not be biased and you I think are definitely not. Amazing analysis and keep up the good work and thank you !
I think there is another very important silver lining to Novak's defeat. Now that he has lost, he no longer needs to retain his unbeatable image. He no longer needs to show to everybody that he can not lose. And now everybody is gonna start to write him off as the old guy who is nearly finished. In other words, the pressure is off. And although everyone likes to say that Novak is a mental juggernaut, nerves are still a factor. Now that there is a new sheriff in town (Alcaraz), Djokovic no longer need's to prove anything to anyone. I think that this can elevate his game, and make him even more dangerous on the ATP. Now, he can play to win, rather than play not to lose.
Its a good point this one, but I respectfully disagree. He's the fittest player and 23 gs champ. He SHOULD be beating a 20 year old everywhere especially on grass and hard. If he had rafas body then I'd understand but he has no physical issues and therefore no excuses. Someone who has won 23 gs and fully fit is never an underdog imo
@@raid8769 You may still think of him as the unbeatable machine. Most for most people, I think the climate has shifted. For most people, see this defeat of Djokovic as the end of the Big 3 era. Alcaraz is now the clear favorite of the US open, and perhaps the rest of the grand slams as we move forward. When Djokovic plays against Alcaraz again, the expectation will be for Alcaraz to win. Djokovic is now the underdog, and that will favor him.
Alcaraz was brilliant no question. Yet despite this, he was down set point to go down 2 sets to 0 in set 2. Despite this he faced a breakpoint in set 3 that Djokovic completely failed on when he had a simple put away in front of the net. Credit to Carlos for the win, but only a few points separated a completely different outcome.
Novak fan here... apart from being sad with this loss, and actually happy for Carlos, I have to emphasize one thing that it's going to picture the game in general, in the next decade: Either other players would have to raise their level to pair with Carlos, or Carlos is going on a massive win strike (the one we saw with Roger from 2003-2007). There has to be balance on the field, otherwise Carlos is going to beat them all to the point where he will either lose motivation, or someone raises up his level! Novak will extend this rise of Carlos for a while, but he will end his career in few years, and then the inevitable will happen!
We still don't know how sustainable his game will be. Nadal is built like a monster and is blessed with a better frame and still spent like half his career injured, Idk if Alcaraz's body will hold up. Fed had a very graceful game and quick game, it makes sense he could sustain. Novak is also built like a monster, like a rubber band and takes intense care of it with diet, meditation, etc and still suffered injuries. We'll see but think Alcaraz will perhaps be more like a Borg.
@@aurei7775 if other guys don't raise their level, Carlos will not need to push his body to his limits. That's why I think his body is just fine. But, if some other guy appears, I'm afraid he has to change something in order to preserve his body. Another thing, back in 2002, Hewitt won the Wimby, and everybody was talking about conclusion of Sampras/Agassi era. Nobody was looking at young Roger that year. He was just another talented guy on the field. Everybody praised Hewitt and the new era of tennis that is about to begin. We all know what happened to that Hewitt era.
@@vlasteemeerbabych5407 That is the thing, there is still a low sample size on this kid. Lots can change. And the more exchanges these new players have the more they grow and push each other,. Novak himself said this Fed & Nadal pushed him. Competition breeds betterment. And there is the tactical side of finding patterns, weaknesses with more bouts. As for longevity, even straight forward matches there is mileage done on the body, I think even that Muller game vs alcaraz lasted quite long or a 3 setter. Obviously we don't see everything. I believe even in RG where Novak won, there was a lot injuries, and you obviously don't want to bring up since it's seen as making excuses and he was playing competitively.
@@aurei7775 as for RG... it was a lesson for Carlos and his team... they have to change something in the game.... and personally... I don't think he changed anything. He is young and his body will long term suffer without him knowing that. I see hem closest to Rafa, and we all know how his body suffered just because his game style was such. He destroyed his body, unlike Roger or Novak. I just don't want that to happen to Carlos. But as we agreed - it is way too early. Remember the hype around Dominic Team? He was great, and boom... his body had to fall apart at one point.
Thanks for your fine analysis, as usual. It is wonderful to see a young player with prime physical and technical skills along with an excellent attitude. One also gets the impression that Alcaraz knows he can and wants to improve.
Alcaraz's adaptive skill is very very high even praised by Djokovic.He played like seasoned grass court player.Very good 😊 If he plays like this on grass so you can imagine on HC and clay 😮
Novak said in his press interview that Alcaraz is a complete player & you can see that in his game. His strong baseline rally, powerful passing shots, accurate drop shots at the net and mix his game from the baseline & at the net. These are the game quality of the big 3 top players that have dominated the sport.
Almost everone including guys like you make him an underdog, that definitely helped alcaraz to play with almost zero pressure with grass labelled as his least preferred and weakest surface
@@innosanto I mean for sure but considering novak's mental game and endurance and alcaraz's lack of grass experience, no one even dared to give alacaraz a chance. The case was different in French open where many expected either it's 50-50 or alcaraz win. I would say even in Wimbledon considering how well alcaraz played until finals, it was still 50-50.i am just talking about giving that 50 percent chance.Obviously French open made this guy a far better player at handling nerves
Amazing match. And those easy misses from Nole hurt... I know they will haunt Nole for a while too. I wonder if he'll use this as a motivation to push harder for next GS, or if his mind is heading in direction of winding down the career. He mentioned in a Serbian interview post-match, that he's not sure if he has "years or months" left ahead of him. Made me really sad. Part of me thinks next AO might be last GS. 😢
As a decade long Novak fan, he is like that. Right after Nadal announced that next year is his last, Novak said something along those lines too, that he doesn't know how much more he's going to play. I think if anything this gives him more motivation to win. I feel that playing with his children watching is an experience that Novak enjoys and wants to have a few more years. But the end is nearer and nearer, no doubt it. Tennis won't be the same to me after he retires...
I am aNovak fan, but I am a Tennis fan. Novak is GOAT. Novak is legend! I am learning to accept change. Alcaraz is for real. No need for Novak fans to be loose our minds. Novak is 36 yrs old. There must be a change.
Love Alcaraz! I didn't think Novak's precise serve would allow Carlitos to get the win, yet (much due to the wind?) Novak only served two or three aces in 5 sets, a poor serving day by his standards. Such a high quality win for Carlitos!
Carlos is also an amazing returner so that was a big factor. He held Med to only 5 aces in the semi final. Med was averaging about 5 or more per set in the tournament before he met Alcaraz.
This is a wonderful breakdown Gill. Very few commentators goes to such depth. Fantastic. Do you feel like Alcaraz’s key to success on the mental side is exactly what on Jabeaur is missing?
This match looked very similar to RG 2015 final vs Stan. Novak scrambled and defended for long parts but with his forehand not being effective, he got overpowered!
Can't agree with you more, and that's exactly what Novak will do over and over again, play defensive tennis ad nauseum, and wait for the opponent to make errors. Wawrinka actually plays Novak even more aggressively than Alcaraz played Novak, taking a huge amount of risks, but still he would totally dominate Novak in both slam finals, the FO and the US OPEN. And even the slam matches he lost they were five setters, and all the same, Wawrinka being the sharpshooter, Novak morphing into a goal tender ..
@@gremsa HC is Novak's best surface. There is just more competition for him on that surface. Most of the next gen guys are significantly better on HC than grass. He has 3 more slams at AO alone than he does at Wimbledon.
According to the stats, Alcaraz ran 6607m and Djokovic 6195m, so no, Djokovic wasn’t defending for “long parts.” Alcaraz was just able to turn defense into offense faster, played the bigger points better and he handled the conditions really well. In the end, he ended up with more winners than UE while the opposite was true for Novak, and that’s why he lost. In spite of that, the difference between the two was only two points. They had the exact same number of points and games won until the fifth set 5-4 30 all, and then Alcaraz won the next two, and that’s the match.
What a great channel and analysis :) As a Djoker fan it was frustrating to see the two missed routine backhands in the tiebreak and the drive miss you mentioned in the 5th set break point. Do you think Djokovic will have same problems with the wind at the US open ? Is this the reason he's "only" won 3 there and Nadal 4?
How things change. Years ago, I couldn't wait for ESPN post commentary after any major tennis event. Now it's Gill & his team. Respect.
I actually don't know if he has a team, I think this chanel is a one man operation. Maybe worth asking in a mailbag!
Touché
ESPN n most channels don’t do tennis analysis much other than game days
yep Gil is really good. ESPN's commentary SUCKS.
100% agree. ESPN commentary is low quality compared to Gill's. Best tennis analysis in the business, with no need for any fancy editing and graphics. Just intelligent, articulate reviews of the big matches.
I'm a Novak fan, but congratulations to Alcaraz. The match was exhausting and with a lot of twists and turns. I cried for Novak, but I'm impressed with Alcaraz's perseverance. He is young but a very impressive player.
This is a proper Djokovic fan. Novak is crazy good, right now probably the best ever. But that doesn't take a way from a 20 year old that can go toe to toe with him and win against him.
Same for me.
👏👏✊🙏... much respect to you. A true fan in every respect
@@EduSanjuan777you're one of the more sensible Novak fan.
Salud.
😊
@@leonardobraynen1524 I am more of a Rafa fan lol. Also fan of Alcaraz.
Carlos gave Novak a dose of his own medicine by dropping the 1st set
For his age Carlos is possibly the most complete player I've ever seen. Not only can I not point to anything as a weakness, I would struggle to describe anything that isn't an outright strength. First serve, excellent. Second serve, incredibly difficult to attack. Forehand, elite. Backhand, excellent. Movement, elite. Touch, elite. Court sense, excellent. The scary thing is that he can conceivably get much better.
His serve isn't really the best. Considering his other strengths, serve should be considered his weakness.
@@anupee1 Career hold percentage is around 82% but for 2023 it's 86% so he is trending upwards. Federer and Sampras are at 88% for their career. His serve is currently excellent but not quite elite. Give him another year though.
His serve can improve, Federer had a better serve at his age but his ground game and net play is super solid
Who has ask?
@@xxxs8309 Actually Federer also had an 86% hold percentage for 2002.
Amazing result and I was so impressed with Alcaraz's patience in rallies! His rally tolerance and willingness to suffer was so much higher than his peers'... always felt like Sinner and Rublev couldn't let a rally get to 10 shots without trying to hammer something, whereas - especially in the middle of the match - Alcaraz understood it was the right time to focus on keeping the ball in play, and putting pressure on Djoker to end points
hi Ronaldo
Exactly. Noticed that. Good tennis iq from carlos
Check this out: in the last game at 30-30 they had not only won the same number of games but also the same number of points at 166. Alcarez took the last 2 points and the title. Amazing match.
Gill is the best tennis analyst ever! Love to hear all his talks and run down, break down of all game stuff. Keep it going Gill!
What a match for history! It had so many epic moments and film worthy narratives:
Nole kicking Carlos' ass at the beginning made us all think "here we go again", Carlos breaking the 15 tie break streak to avoid going 2-0, the epic 26 minute Alcaraz's break game on the third which ultimately gives him the set, Djokovic's return to life on the fourth when he looked most vulnerable, and that great 5th set which you analysed in so much detail.
I am so happy for Carlitos and for the tennis fandom, we finally got to enjoy the match the sport needed, even more after the disappointment from RG
The only annoying thing was wind and public desperate to see Novak lose .
That long game in the third may have had a mental effect. But Alcaraz was winning the third set anyway. Had Djokovic won that game Alcaraz just would have won the set 6-3 instead of 6-1
@@GaryLyons I feel Djokovic would have broken back because he would somehow have a mental edge in that situation.
Gill-After this incredible, historic, mind blowing match, the commentary I was waiting most for was yours. Just wanted to thank you for your coverage.
Gil - great job as always!
No one comes close to breaking tennis down on YT like you!
It feels to me that those of us who have had the privilege to follow the rise of Carlitos from various wildcard entries to that sensational Madrid Open win in '21 just aren't saying what they know in their bones - that he is like no other. At least that's how it feels to me. Every other match up feels flat compared to an Alcaraz one. When I watch his footwork I compare him to ballet dancers, to Muhammed Ali. His shot making is extraordinary. His power and movement breathtaking. The most staggering thing is this is just the beginning. Added to this, relevant or not, is his personality - graceful, humble and respectful.
And add a very high tennis IQ. He solves problems quickly
He is truly amazing! And such a gentleman❤❤❤❤❤
So happy for Carlos, I was so excited. He continued his incredible record in finals. Amazing final game. He found a way to win even without leaning on perfect timing his forehand, or the dropshot etc. It does feel huge being that the run Novak had was pretty incredible.
Alcaraz definitely has that sports IQ to adjust his game as needed. This is one of the key factors in being one of the best rather than just great. We saw it with all the big 3 as well.
Carlos is very mature and complete. He's running deep in every major.
Alcaraz achieved the labor of Hercules, here. He is constantly improving as well. His coach, Fererro, has done a great job. Alcaraz, is going to be something, special.
Finally somebody mention *JCF* as *THE CATALYST* for Alcaraz' rapid development & ascension!
Hi Gill, I think it’s very hard to comments without out bias, but you do excellent job, thank you 🙏🏻 As recreational club tennis player I learn lot from your tennis analysis, can’t wait for US open analysis 🙏🏻🥰🥇🏆you are champion on your own right
great video Gill.
One thing I'll point out (that is missed by most commentators) is that even though Novak hasn't won 4 slams in a Jan-Dec calendar year, between 2015 Wimbledon and 2016 French Open he was the winner of all 4 grand slam tournaments.
He won 2015 Wimbledon, 2015 US open, 2016 Australian open and 2016 French Open so he has already won 4 slams in a row once before and the fact he did this isn't talked about by the media.
I’m a Fed fan and I agree.
D yup super impressive
Interesting what Nole mentioned in his press conference. He is impressed by Carlos way of adapting game
Gil, your analysis is special. Not like the rest in the level of quality depth and insight. It's a joy to watch, and it always leaves me with interesting thoughts and ideas that I hadn't (couldn't have) thought about on my own. You're a generational tennis commenter! ;)
This loss is huge and very surprising (unthinkable) to Novak and his team! Unlike losing straight sets to Meddy in 2021 UO, this is a 5-set battle in WO Final, a scenario, stage and surface where Novak would normally win over Roger or Rafa or anyone else in his way. Carlitos hasn't played much on grass in his whole career so far, but still played like a veteran in this Final. If Carlitos could dethrone Novak in AO 2024, it would fully confirm the Alcaraz era has officially arrived. Hope these 2 would meet again in 2023 UO Final.
Historically athletes go through slumps though. Alcaraz seemingly has played some perfect matches in this past year, it’s hard to believe he can sustain that. The GOAT will not take this loss lightly.
The last time Djokovic beat Nadal at WB was in an indoor court ( Djokovic’s best and Rafa’s worst) and he barely squeak by in a 5th set tie break where Rafa had match points. So it is not normally that he would beat Rafa…..
@@williamwong4832 The fact is Novak has beaten Rafa in all 5-set matches, except for 13 FO semi. Don't forget Novak was coming from the lowest point of his career at 2018 WO even the closed roof may favored Novak a bit. Rafa was not aggressive enough in certain points of that match which costed him the match. Champions don't accept excuses. 2020 FO final was played under closed roof too, and Rafa killed Novak.
@@DavidGao1988 Novak quitted in a few of their earlier matches too. That prevented Rafa from winning more 5 set matches. With there H2H quite close, it speaks highly of Rafa needing less than 5 sets to beat Djokovic actually/
Alcaraz is the only player in techno 2023 with such a free mind to create uninhibited art on the tennis court. His upbringing should be studied.
Thanks Gill. What an epic match! Well done Alcaraz for doing the near impossible. Against any other player, Djokovic would have secured his 24th, but the fact is that Alcaraz is unlike any other player. The worrying thing for the other top players is the big gap between them and these two finalists.
We have a cross generational rivalry and I'm excited to see what happens at the USO.
No worries. Djokovic will set his goal mentoring SInner and a few others so as the few others can maintain a level-playing field. Lol.
What happens at the USO is Djokovic better hope that someone else knocks out Carlos. Coz' he ain't beatin' him
Who holds the most wimbo titles?
It really is exciting. We've seen many many rivalries, but never cross generational like this as you say. Hopefully guys like Rune and Sinner can step it up to be able to compete with Alcaraz regularly.
@@bronson1392 Roger 😃 What's your point?
Carlos is a real star. He proved that today. The other young guys show flashes, but they simply don’t compare. Carlos will force all of the others to step up their game, and that will usher in the new era.
I doubt if the others can steup their game?.. I think going forward as Novak ages and retires, the field will be weaker and completely one sided dominated by Carlos. I wouldnt be surprised if he wins multiple calendar slams.
@@kkkk288no way you can predict they won't step up. Lots of potential for the under 25 guys.
@@kkkk288Carlos definitely has the game for a calendar slam and none of the current players in his age group has the game to challenge him.
Carlos rewrote tennis history. He prevented Novak from matching both Federer (8 titles) and Borg / Federer (5 in a row). Also the French/Wimbledon double for a second time and a potential calendar slam and the No.1 ranking as well as undisputed greatest status. This was incredibly significant. Much more than people realize.. Carlos is the most complete player i have ever seen at 20. Generational talent. And he is still developing. Wait and watch.
Novak will surely cemented himself as undisputed, just needs more titles
An honestly cygs thing is impossible, even if he won wb he would literally lose uso, it is unreachable.
@@dushandvr5765 Undisputed in his era. He already has 23. But winning the calender slam would have sealed, stamped and closed all arguments. Not just his generation. For all time so far. The CYGS is the ultimate achievement. He came very close though in 2021. Also Borg has 3 French Wimbledon doubles but that while significant is not as big as a CYGS.
@@z1az285 Laver has 2 cygs and I don't think it can seal the deal if player don't possess most slams.... So most slams are sealer, especially if he has more than 23. Yes it would seal the deal for Djoko... But even 2-3 slams more are enough to seal the deal without cygs
@@dushandvr5765 Yes, but one of lavers CYGS was as an amateur, so that doesn't count. While the ATP tour structure changed in 1990 and honesty one can't compare eras for that reason, Novak is absolutely the best in his era because he held all 4 slams once, just not in the same year. Like Martina Navratilova. But winning a CYGS is the holy grail. That is tennis immortality, especially in this era. Like I said, Carlos win had huge implications. We will see how the future unfolds.
Nice video - I like how, even though you tend to hone in on patterns (for good reason), you are also willing to recognize rare matches like this where there aren't dominant patterns that explain the match... still, there are some patterns that mattered in key points, even if they don't occupy a ton of the 'pie chart', and I liked the ones you focus on - Alcaraz's slice backhand was key for setting up his forehand, as you noted. I also loved how Alcaraz was often taking his inside-out forehand as a heavy, loopy, shaped ball, rather than solely as a flat, penetrating ball (see crucial 4-4 point in the tiebreak). Conventionally, this would seem like more of a clay court play than a grass court play, but it was working for him well since Queens, and it earned a lot of attackable balls through Novak's high backhand. Taken together, I love how Alcaraz is using elements of both Federer's (ie, slice backhand) and Nadal's (ie, ultra-heavy forehand to Novak's backhand) approaches for effectively building points against Novak on grass, and earning attackable balls - and then finishing on those attackable balls with his own signature repertoire (e.g., drop shots, lobs, shots we don't have names for...).
More generally, beyond sheer entertainment value, I find myself desperately wanting as many matches as possible between Novak and Carlitos (and all other top young players) so that as much as possible of the accumulated wisdom of the Big 3 can be 'transmitted' to those players - something that can only happen through high-stakes, competitive matchplay, rather than watching old matches or even being coached by them. And I don't mean 'transmitted' in a passive sense; each young player will force Novak to do different things in different conditions, and they will all respond in their own ways - and through that process they will 'access' the accumulated wisdom of the Big 3 before their rarified knowledge is no longer accessible (ie, Nadal and Novak retire, and no one ever has another opportunity to play/learn from them in matches like this). It is analogous to Novak being the last person alive who speaks a language (a language developed by three goats over two decades), and it is a race against time for the young ones to learn as many words as possible before he is gone (ie, retires) and the language is lost to history.
My earliest tennis memories are from Federer's ascendancy, and now that we are in the twilight of Novak and Rafa's careers, I increasingly feel the weight of time and what it means for all that accumulated knowledge - and that makes me feel so thankful for the match we got to witness yesterday.
Excellent post. 👏
Good take
That 26 minute game in Set 3 was incredible. Alcaraz won it, i knew he would win wimbledon after that game🎉😊
you never know what could happened when djokovic is on other side of the net, it looks you are new tennis fan
Good try but no, more than 20 years watching. Been fan of Federer, Agassi, Williams, Sempras, McEnroe and Sharapova. Alcaraz won because he is younger, faster, hungrier and just don't give up like a younger version of Novak. He is not number 1 for nothing plus he beat Novak before so it wasn't out of possibility.
Gill absolutely sensational coverage of Wimbledon throughly enjoyed all your videos it has enhanced an already incredible event. I'm stunned by how amazing Carlitos is he is the greatest tennis talent I've ever seen. Can't wait to see whats next for him and how the others especially Novak respond.
Yes. Very exciting. What would make it even better is if Rune can up his game to close to Alcaraz and a rivalry there occurs. Novak won't be around too much longer, but we can expect at least another year or two of epic battles I think. Agree with Gill that this is renewed motivation.
Great match and performance
Congrats Alcaraz for the title winner🏆👏👏🍓
Kid put the HAMMER down on Djokovic in the fifth set. Crazy. At 20. Even if you say 'he's too young to know better'...mentally that's a hell of an accomplishment.
People don't talk about Alcaraz returns enough but I suppose theres a lot to talk about with his game lol
Very rightly put when you mentioned Alcaraz could be the new motivational factor for Djokovic.The rivalry won't last long like the one with Rafa or Federer but certainly can fuel Djokovic 's interest that much more...
Gill, greetings from Serbia, just want to say it's a pleasure to watch your takes, probably the best - least biased and well explained vids on the YT. It's such a simple and 'normal' thing yet very rare these days. Best regards
I like how people are saying Djokovic is over, while he won AO,FO and got to Wimledon final.
Djo had no competition and he hasn't had any for the last 5 years, everytime he's had comp, he's lost other than rg 21 (where rafa had no movement cuz of his foot injury). No he has comp, he's lost, and on Carlos' worst surface as well. If Carlos stays healthy, djo is not winning another slam again
@@raid87694 years ago there was still big 3 and then it was covid and then Djokovic was banned
@@innosanto yes i went too far back, 2020 onwards. no federer, no nadal from rg 2021 onwards. i mean rafa literally came back from 8 months off and chronic foot injury to win 2 slams last year even one on his worst surface, literally proves that djo has had no comp. all of his competitors (rafa roger murray) have had career ending injuries and he's been so lucky to not have one. so yeah he better have won all those grand slams. rafa and especially federer wouldve done the same as novak has done recently if the roles were reversed
Well you can say that about every player, they cant compete is strong eras all the time. Federer and Nadal pre Djokovic era and especially when Federer took last Wibledon and Australian open while Djokovic was injured and Nadal AO because of Djokovic ban. Djokovic dominated in my opinion the strongest era wich was over 2019
Djokovic’s words raise an eyebrow, when he called him the best of the big 3, with the best qualities from each. This kid can blow everyone out of the water if he continues this trajectory.
He said that to mess his head up for us open
@@jm_1214 I wouldn’t be surprised, it was just too high of a praise, hyperbolic for sure, at least this early in his career
Thank you for always making us enjoy tennis with your wonderful analysis of not only the players but the game. Iparticularly enjoy when you cover Wimbledon ,being biased as I’m British 😂
Appreciate the coverage, Gill ✌️
Carlos was absolutely incredible. I wouldn't go as far as passing of the torch, but this match showed that there is now a player that can legitimately match up with Novak even with the other big 3 players not there. It's a beautiful moment when the eras are finally colliding. It's taken a long time, but we finally have a young player worthy of the crown.
Carlos learns from mistakes. He also has a 'reset button' - he loses the first set and lets it go and goes for it in the second set. Compare this with say Zverev who would slump and even give up a bit... He is tenacious. He is such a nice young man too! He is a complete player and human being. I just love him so much! He and Rafa are my two all-time favorite players!
Carlos does not compare to Zverev or Tsitsipas , he is serious player they are sugar babies.
Gill, why are people talking about the wind being a disadvantage to Novak when he is a defensive player? Carlos is the aggressive one whose game is more prone to errors in windy conditions.
Djokonuts are looking for excuses
Exactly. The wind was there for both players and ultimately Carlos adapted better to the conditions as the match went on. Sure, Nole netted and overhit a lot of first serves, struggling with the ball toss in the conditions but then Carlos also hit long a lot of otherwise standard returns and baseline shots and racked up the UEs. He realised that given the conditions, a huge factor in turning the match around would be to reduce his UE count after the first set, by playing with more margin for error and not going for broke on every other shot in the rallies, forcing Nole to be the one to redline and end the points quicker.
Yes the wind affects both players but what Gil was saying was that it affected Novak on crucial points, which it did. Moreover, it got into his head on that point where he should’ve hit the overhead but dumped the half volley into the net. In the big picture, Alcaraz played better on the big points, so the wind isn’t an excuse to why Novak lost, but it played a small part.
An amazing match! A point here and there for Novak and it could've gone the other way. These are Djokovic vs Nadal type of margins!
I like how Carlos' game mutates throughout the match - he has power, finesse, and poise. I don't see anyone on the current tour posing a threat to him, on any surface. There's Carlos, then Djoker, then a bigger divide from the rest. Maybe someone from the juniors will pop up in the next few years, but it looks like Carlos owns the current landscape. For Djoker, still impressive for what he's done this year at 36.
Djoko needed one point to win the match and nobody would talk how alcaraz is that better. They will play again
Finaly, someone who can stand up to novak! So refreshing to see a true competitor that is not afraid after a generation of great players that crumbled in the big moments. The way alcares closed the match says it all and novak recognized it in his speech. As a fan that’s what I want to see. Yes carlos has all the shots and all the weapons but it is the fighting spirit that makes him truly special
Kudos to Djokovic for fighting like that. Most players would've collapsed after the third set but he put so much pressure on Alcaraz to win that fourth set.
They dnt take toilet break.. novak always do wonders after toilet break.
Salute to Novak for the fight he putted. His serve was just not working at all. Forget service winners. He wasnt even making 1st serve in. He had to hold earning every point. He blow out his adv on grass. Still take it to 5 sets.
@@umermaqsood3486”wonders” alright….
"Dethroned" is not an apt descriptive for a guy with 23 Majors' titles who lost Wimbledon by the most razor thin of margins. In fact it's insulting. Carlos was terrific all the way through for his win but he knows the longtime former King is but a Masters 1000 and a NYC win away from reassuming his place on the throne.
The creme de la creme of tennis commentary and analysis. I always learn so much about pro tennis by listening to Gill after I watch big matches.
I told everyone this young man has the game IQ to beat anyone, well done Alcaraz he is faster use different shots, good things don't last forever.
Incredible effort from Carlos- he would not let this one get away, and in the process at 20 has already gained his place in the Tennis Hall of Fame (two slams, four Masters and #1 for 29 weeks and counting should do it). Looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes next!
He can win more than 30-35 slams
What some of you are missing is - his speed of learning is impeccable..unseen.. within only 9 months he increase serve speed by a lot, started spot serving, and kick serve is simply best. Remember he out served Novak in finals including aces. He just needs to remain healthy and skip some tournaments in a year
This result is phenomenal because we have not seen a young player do this outside of the US open since the big 3 (plus Murray Wawrinka) era began.
I wish the world could truly HONOR and give love to Novak for his phenomenal ability to set the bar so high🎉 love Novak and love Carlos.
They will never. Djokovic epitimizes what the mainstream doesn't Want. He doesn't eat GMO, concerns about what he takes in, work hard to stay physically fit, engages in pseudo-sciene like that energy drink and ironman pin, espouses about the "Theory of Attraction", etc. He also came from Serbia, a anti-NATO nation. Sorry, I just cannot come to support anyone other than Djokovic after what the world has been through the last few years with lockdowns, vaxx mandates, etc. Anyone that tags the official narratives are just minions.
@@rksleung Nope ! Djokovic epitomizes poor sportsmanship in men's tennis, just like Serena does in women's tennis.
He lied and cheated trying to sneak his way in the 22 AO. Australia was right to deport him
He is good friends with Chetniks, WWII war criminals, and war criminals on the 1991-1993 time frame. (Photos of his meetings with Dodik and Jolović, well-known Serbian war criminals, can be easily found online)
At this year's RG he declared that Kosovo is the heart of Serbia, which outed hms as Greater Serbia nationalist.
@@rksleung Love Djoker even more for his character.
Car-los! Car-los! Honestly, I wasn't sure this would be his year! He surprised me, - and I'm sure many others! 😮 What a spectacular run! It was fitting that it happened this way; I hope this will open then door for his generation - and the rest of the tour!. Djoko was definitely surprised at Alcaraz's play. He thought this win was in the bag! Uh-uh! This made my weekend! Congratulations to Carlos Alcaraz winning his first Wimbledon and second slam. (Gil you were putting it on a bit thick, bud.)🏆
As a Djokovic fan Carlos played incredible hats off to him it should be an interesting US open in a couple of months.
C'mon Djoker. This time you are the underdog. Win that US Open for 24
Bill thanks for nice words
This is a great point. Alcaraz was having fun on the court, enjoying the moment of being in a wimbledon final against the best of all time. That is why he was able to win. But now he only talks about ludicrous goals like becoming the goat and winning every tournament. He lost the focus on the process and started focusing on the goals instead. Too ambitious goals. In fact they can't be called goals because they require 10-15 years of consistent mastery, good health and luck. They are dreams, and dreams are dangerous if you lose track of the moment.
Among the Fab 3 who is🐐 GOAT might be debatable for different invidual...but Escape from Alcaraz is going to be a nightmare from henceforth if he keeps himself injury free... The guy is a beast...at 20 he has already mastered Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Ruud , Rune , Sinner, Sasha etc...The service game he played for the Championship was a true masterclass against the best returner of all time.
Not Sinner though. The rest dont have the fullness of game and Sinner doesnt also byt he has some elements that he
Plays. Djokovic does have the fullness but is required his great focus.
According to the 5 major stats we used to use....it is Djokovic. This changed when he took the records because of other salty fans.
@@toddjohnson271 I am not a statistical guy....the guy who made me love with the game is Roger, the guy who made me believe in comebacks is Rafa.... But Novak has possibly all important records barring Olympic gold in either category...so it's not fair to say who is the 🐐...just yet ...but if Nole wins the Gold and may be reaches 25-30 slams the debate itself will be meaningless
@@amitlahiri8736 You said Roger was greatest when he had the numbers.....guaranteed. That metric changed when Novak surpassed them.
@@toddjohnson271 I never said Roger was or is greatest...I only said Roger made me fall in love with the game with his style of play... Novak has winning records both against Roger/Rafa... Let's enjoy Novak and Rafa till they are playing mate! We will never witness another Roger/Rafa/Novak in our lifetime
Great breakdown Gill! Novak fan here, five hours of tennis with an L, but it's all good. Like Novak said, he recovered and won some matches where he was the lesser player.
Kind of backhanded to say “lesser player”
@@hankjesse3410 my bad
Yes! ! Finally!!
Not complaining, you do a TON of coverage, including 3, but I couldn't wait to hear this 😂
Btw, the "real" winner? IBM Watson had Alcaraz at 55%!!
This final makes me kinda sad that Nole and Rafa are so old now, i wish we could see them battle with Carlitos a couple more years on the highest level. It was such a pleasure and joy to watch this final and the level of play. Even Nole hadn't his best day, but oh boy was is on high level still from both players.
Carlitos, if he stays healthy and keeps this mindset trough out his career, we are will witness greatness on top level and i am all in for that.
It was def for me one of the best finals in a very long time
Am so happy for Carlos Alcaraz to lift that iconic and prestigious trophy 🏆
Gill Gross
You were putting down Alcaraz so much before the match; you owe him an apology.
I love Novak but so exceedingly happy for Alcaraz that he won. He played an excellent game and for him to do so well on grass it's amazing.
Congratulations CARLITO 🇨🇦🙌💖
Always love your analysis ! Keep up the good work!!! 👍
It's shocking how quickly Alcaraz improves. I mean it was barely even a month ago he lost to Novak in the French Open SF
He's been better than Novak over the last year. Both have 2slams but Carlos is 2-1 against him and Carlos didn't play ao so that was a freebie for Novak.
That was because Alcaraz was struggling with Cramps.
Djokovic couldn't even beat healthy Alcaraz on that day.
@@OmgaduGuduruoh I know but according to djokotards it was because the vax made Alcaraz cramp.
He didn't lose the French, he had one leg, he was on his way to winning that match before the cramps happened.
That lower back hand slice is real deal.... not easy to play....
I'm sad for Djokovic, such a champ. But at the same time, happy for Alcaraz. That guy brings so much joy to the game and always has a positive attitude. It's kinda infectious!
Sad? a Champ?
A bad sport hits women
@@punns643your weird bro
@@ShakAKA12 Go cry novax fan girl
@@punns643 yes who defeated ur idol ass again and again, i can understand ur pain and misery lol
@@punns643 You need professional help bro, help yourself while you still can. Internet isn't for you.
Loved Carlos wipe the smirk off Novak's face.
Cannot agree with you more on the Djokovic motivation section. I believe that his push from Wimbledon last year to this year’s Roland Garros, a stretch where he has been near invincible in the majors and the atp finals, was fuelled by his enforced absence in the first half of 2022 alongside Nadal pushing ahead in the slam race. It’s simply unfathomable how much more he can push himself if he went all the way to the calendar slam with that in mind. This match proved that he still has challenges to conquer, and that he is more than capable of tackling them. All the best to him in the north american hard courts.
There will never be another Novak Djokovic for what he has been through on and off court . Politics , COVID , ATP issues , paid hecklers , media lies , umpires , treats to his children , poor background , war in his country , crowd that hate him just because he is best ....
Marat Safin was 20 when he destroyed Pete Sampras, who was 30 and a record holder Grand Slam at the time.
2009 Federer should have won that match, was ahead, but his errors and stubborness cost him the match
2023 Djokovic should have won if he´d played good, not great just good. Look how he put himself in a position of a two set to love lead, 3-0 in the tiebreaker, 6-5 set point and commiting rare errors that he normaly doesnt make. Its not that Alcaraz produced winners from all over and beat Djokovic at that moment.
Also: The wind was a big factor which denied his toss to be efective all match, look how he struggled with it all match ... even in that regard, serving badly, with no first serves at all during all the match and with a lot of errors, he put himself in a position of a 5th set break point opportunity to be break up in that last set.
So great win for Carlos Alcaraz, congratulations to him but it was Djokovic who lost it, he played bad yesterday.
Also the umpire warning him during the tiebreaker affected him. The system and Wimbledon wanted Djokovic to lose since day 1, even before, ignoring him in the propaganda of the tournament, that was shameful.
So dont get things out of proportion and let the emotions dominate the situation. It was Djokovic who played badly and lost it. You even predicted Djokovic winning in 5 sets, which he should have after recovering from all his errors that let Alcaraz lead 2 sets to 1.
And even from what i saw yesterday, your prediction would have stayed short of what SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Djokovic should have won in 3 sets, not even 4 or 5.
Finally and again ... if he´d played good, normal, like everyday, he would have won his 8th WImbledon title.
Did Alcaraz blew Djokovic out of the court (like Safin did with Sampras in 3 sets) with winners form all over confirming the new generation time had arrived? No he did not.
Its not the first time Djokovic loses to a youngster before, its not the first time that he will absolutely ... the thing is Djokovic still SHOULD HAVE WON.
Alcaraz felt no pressure at all ... in RG he felt pressured and failed.
I still put Djokovic as a favourite to win the US Open, with the level that he was playing up to that 6 - 5 in the second set. He was FLYING like a never seen him before.
If Djokovic plays good, even at 36 years old, just good, he should beat Alcaraz in New York in a potential final there.
I really think a decisive factor on this match was Alcaraz serve to the body of Djokovic he did a lot of times and did it well..he prevented djokovic best weapon which is the return…
How about the dropshots?
Finally this nonsense of him not being the rightful Number one can be put away. Trying to say well if Novak was there , he might not of this that etc. Yesterday Novak played has good as he’s ever played. Out playing everyone up until the final. Of course it was close, but all epic matches are. 6.4 in the 5th. Wow. And losing the first set the way he did only makes this win just that more special. My feeling now is other players now will have more confidence in playing Novak. Especially has he wasn’t injured or coming back from injury. He just got out played by in Novaks words a better player, Carlos was so calm serving in the 5th set . Bravo Carlos Alcaraz. Thanks Gill Gross your channel is so unbiased, and you just say it as it is.
About time lol! I am so over that argument. I hope his fans can finally chill and just move on from the stolen Wimby points convo and well Novak didn’t play the USO if he was there … blah blah blah! Carlos beat Novak fair square. He was simply the better player that day.
Really great analysis, Gill. I think Alcaraz won as much as novak lost - Novak couldn't get his mind back the way he normally would after losing the second set tie break - that was monumental to the outcome, as monumental as carlos closing down the 5th. His variety was truly impressive.
agreed....novack had two set points in the tiebreak and missed routine backhands....he would have won the match and that was the turning point
@@joe-zp7ge 1 set point
Just want to say thank u Gil, your tennis content is by far the best on youtube and I learn so much by watching your videos in terms of how I watch players and matches, it is awesome
thanks man ✌🏽
Carlitos rapid improvement alongside his domination of the rest of the tour will hopefully inspire some of his current peers to embrace that process of improvement. And one day, they might stand alongside carlitos
However, it has to be said that carlitos is a generational talent with freakishly high rate of improvement. It wont be easy to match
Re Rublev/Sinner &etc
No worries Gill, you're only repeating what many of us have been saying all along- none of these guys is anywhere near good enough to match Novak even at 36 yo. It's ridiculous. They've had 15 years of watching & chance to learn from the best of the best and every single one (except Rune) has squandered their chances.
Too much money sloshing around & not enough hunger. Sinner is at least making changes in an effort to improve but this 'power is everything' mentality is the pits.
It may take players 5-6 years younger, like Rafa and Nole are to Roger, in order to compete. I would look at the ones who are 15 now. Hewitt, Rodick, Safin, Nalbandian... are Roger's generation and they didn't step up to the challenge. Safin showed he had the potential, beating Sampras and Roger in slam finals, but he didn't have the dedication.
Only Novak can stop Carlos . Once Novak retires Carlos will win everything next ten years . Spectators should be on Novak side now to make him stay few more years and save tennis . It's not just hecklers now it's umpires too , they are killing the enjoyment of watching tennis .
Carlitos is the new Wimbledon Sherriff in town! Rest of this is same comentary as on The Three vid. Thanx Gill. NoleFanMilan feeling very good after set 1; feeling very deflated and dissapointed after set 2 tiebreaker (crushed! - better wording!) Then set 3 feeling very deflated & worried. Then feeling very hopeful & revived after set 4 and then on pins for all of set 5! Yup! Two missed backhands in set 2 were like...WTF...just happened! EPIC match. Still recovering and grieving! LOL 🙂 Will Novak come back extra motivated? Will Nole recover? If Carlitos wins USO-23, then AO-24? Now, the target and the wimbledon crown has passed to Carlos AND there's a new Wimbledon sherriff in town🙂Crushing crushing defeat for a NoleFan in this moment. Now I know how FedHeads felt about 2019! Whoa! No torch-passing yet. Think Novak has a bit of extra motivation and he will retool and retweak tactics. The spideyman will bounce back. The torch passes if Carlitos keeps on dominating in 2024 at the GS's. In the meantime, will grieve and lament and dust off my attachments & expectations now that Novak has lost AT WIMBLEDON! Crushing! Enough out of me. Cheers, Milan
A week before the start of the grass-court season nobody gave a euro for Alcaraz as the favourite to win Wimbledon.
It was Sinner, Djoko,..... but Alcaraz didn´t even appear within the top five candidates.
He wins Queens and Wimbledon.
What does that tell us?
It seems to me to suggest that, as Gill says, Alcaraz's ability to learn is so enormous that even the experts can't conceive of it.
At this point, the only thing that could stand in the way of him reaching the big 3 (apart from a possible physical problem) will be a lack of motivation after winning everything and not having an opponent to match him.
It was Djokovic and then alcaraz
To me the match came down to both Alcaraz’ great performance but also some unclutchness on Djokovic’s part. In particular the shot selection (dropshot?!) and backhand errors in 2nd set tiebreak and that forehand drive at the beginning of 5th set. Also, playing with wind naturally favours the more powerful player Alcaraz over a more timing-based player like Djokovic.
Also alcaraz did many mistakes not only djoko sooo
@@adamrazqi4828 no. Djokovic should've won it.
@@novakgoatovicwhy?
If he wins that tie break , then match would have been finished in 3 . He missed the set point by making an unforced error . It usually doesn’t happen with nole but he choked in that tie break and lost the match .
@@harshavardhan7237 NO pt arguing with them. They came here commenting even without listening to the GIll's content on that 2nd set tiebreak set pt.
He got out played, Alcaraz got in Novak head because he mixed his game up, stop making excuses for Novak, Alcaraz beat him. Alcaraz made all you analysts look silly, everyone went for Novak, he beat him fair and square, no racket smashing, no milking the time clock, no loud shouting to your box, no the wind to high, he suppose to be the experienced player. Great match Alcaraz 👏
What is your problem? He is analysing the game
Below is the the best analysis of the Wimbledon 2023 FINAL match , a generational event that defied all odds: from French Open choke to divine sheer pleasure in the joy of Tennis. "God made me to play Tennis, and when I play I feel God's pleasure" (my paraphrase from "Chariots of Fire"
I think biggest problem for Djokovic was 1st serve placement accuracy. Every close to the line serve was out. I guess wind played a role in that, and then pressure built up given Alcaraz was returning well.
Just that bit of developing tightness is all it takes to lose that 2nd set and then it got complicated.
2nd biggest problem.was of course Alcaraz speed. He got to most balls even when Nole was attacking. Thisnwas especially true as the match went on. Ithat 32 point game, I almost wanted Nole to give that up, because those balls were gone and useless at that point. Gave the returner all the practice they needed to feel the ball and read the server. I think that game just enabled Alcaraz to be more free.
Not meant to be for Nole this time, but he has 2 slams maybe more left in him.
People will forget, and even i think Gill didn't mention it. Alcaraz won by 2 points here! 2 points. That's what it takes, even on grass to defeat Djokovic. So this inthink will continue to be a competitive rivLry in the next 1-2 years
Another strength of alcaraz is his strong mental sense of belief. He believes he can beat anyone. He is there to win.
What Carlos just did is monumental. Not only did he beat Djokovic in a slam final, but he did it at probably his weakest slam, and one where Djokovic was favored over the WHOLE field, having even odds to win the thing. In other words, Djokovic was given a higher chance to win than everyone else in the draw combined. Alcaraz was also handed a complete nightmare of a draw, but he established clear dominance over the whole field before beating Novak.
I disagree on the point about nerves. I think Alcaraz showed plenty of nerves here. In the first set he came out disastrously bad. We’ve seen slow starts from Carlos, but this was really poor from him. Lost the first set 1-6, but he bounced back nicely. From there, he was so clutch to win that second set tiebreak, facing a set point to go down 2 sets to 0, and then in the third set he broke Djokovic’s resistance by winning that 26 minute game.
But with the momentum solidly in Alcaraz’s favor, his serve just fell apart. In a match where Alcaraz’s serve was great, and a tournament where his serve was near flawless, Alcaraz hit 4 key double faults in the 4th set, and it was the main reason he lost it. These free points were enough for Djokovic to get two breaks on him, and even when he didn’t DF, he was missing a lot of first serves.
But then came the fifth set, which was super impressive by Carlos. He saved a break point in his first service game, which could’ve been disastrous. Then at 1-1, he broke Djokovic’s serve after an awesome rally ending with a backhand passing shot. I think most of us didn’t expect Alcaraz to be able to hold out the set; young guy, first grand slam final, against the greatest returner of all time? Seems like he’ll need a second break for insurance. But he didn’t. Alcaraz just found ways to keep holding. A second serve ace to go up 5-3 was super clutch, and in the final game, he had a couple of loose misses, but also a clutch drop shot+lob, a sick lunging volley that most players wouldn’t have been able to cover, and some great serving/composure got him to the finish line.
I suspect from here on out, Alcaraz will come in with fewer nerves against Djokovic, and will turn in more consistent performances than this one. Djokovic’s job is only gonna get harder, because I still believe grass is Alcaraz’s worst surface, as insane as it is to say after he just won Queen’s and Wimbledon back to back. Djokovic may be able to beat him at the AO, but RG and US Open feel like Carlos’s territory.
One last thing: if it wasn’t already clear, Carlos is a step ahead of every other young player. Don’t compare Sinner to him. Rune isn’t close yet, though one day he definitely has the potential to close the gap quite a bit. Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev are all so many steps behind Alcaraz. And the scary thing is, Alcaraz has shown steady improvement for the past 2 years. He’s only getting better.
This is the most on-point comment here IMHO.
I’d argue that grass *was* Carlos’ weakest surface, but in the space of a month he’s now become the best grass court player on the tour not named Novak Djokovic. It’s just an unbelievable talent for learning and insane progression from such a young player.
We will see how the USO plays out. Djokovic with renewed motivation and wanting revenge is going to be a big factor of course, but if he was surpassed by Carlos on a faster, lower bounce surface like grass where a polished game, refined technique and a lot of experience go a long way…I just can’t see it getting any easier for the Serb on slower, higher bounce courts like the USO and RG where Carlos’ youth, athleticism, raw power, nearly infallible drop shots and familiarity with the surfaces give him the edge.
Lastly, and I think this is something that has been overlooked about this final: Djokovic at times, suddenly looked old out there. If you count the number of falls and slips each man had out there on the day, I can only recall 1 bad fall from Carlos way behind the baseline during all of the rallies. Everything else was just a minor slip here and there.
Nole on the other hand? I can recall at least 4 bad falls - 2 awkward splits that on another day may have been a bad knee injury, one dive onto the ground trying to reach a net shot from Carlos and a nearly sprained ankle as his leg/foot gave way to a fall on the baseline. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Djokovic nearly broke his body 4 or 5 times today just trying to keep up with and outdo Alcaraz. It looked a lot like a 36 year old thinking they’re still a 26 year old, trying to keep up with a 20 year old. And unfortunately for Nole, physically pushing himself to that extent to match Carlitos (and risking a potentially career-ending injury) just isn’t sustainable.
Novak has maybe 1-2 years max to spar with Carlos, and that’s if the Spaniard doesn’t steam roll absolutely everyone on every surface from here on out for the next decade.
Monumental analysis ! Thanks.
A uso courts are faster now and have been in the last 3 years
@@colethomas903 As Gill pointed out some time ago, Novak tends to tire by USO time. Faster surface won't help.
@@AlboravinI think Djokovic and Alcaraz are the top 2 on every surface, and no one is particularly close to them except maybe Medvedev on hard courts. I will say that Alcaraz dismantled the field on grass and showed that he has a matchup advantage over everyone, whereas Djokovic still looked like he could be bothered by certain play styles. So in a way, I almost wanted to say Alcaraz is better on grass, but it’s only 2 tournaments so I can’t draw too big of a conclusion off it.
I think Novak has looked a little old for a while. He’s gotten VERY lucky with draws, and other players have just shrunk when playing him, but realistically he has looked old and weary for a bit now. It could just be the wear and tear of winning everything, but age is catching up. However the way he hits the forehand and serve nowadays should give him some time. Nadal looked the same the last few years, but was clinging onto a high enough level to win. One thing though, Nadal had much better hand skills and power to keep himself afloat. Then again, Djokovic makes up for this in his return of serve and serve. Either way, I think Djokovic needs a much better performance if he plays Alcaraz at the USO, because if he turned in this performance again, I could see Alcaraz beating him much easier.
Alcaraz is my clear favorite at the USO. I’d put Medvedev second. Medvedev should be able to dismantle the field, and I even think he could beat a worn-down Djokovic. But Alcaraz has shown he has such a big matchup advantage over Medvedev. Not only was their Wimbledon match a beatdown, but Alcaraz looked extremely relaxed and confident from the start. He was bouncing around and experimenting throughout the first set. It felt like a stark contrast from the Djokovic and Rune matches, where he came out super tense in the first set, and even when he eased up he seemed visibly desperate to close the match.
Let’s see how Novak responds. Alcaraz is so complete that I genuinely don’t know what weakness Djokovic can prey on. But he has to find a way to make Alcaraz make unforced errors. I don’t know how. Playing defense won’t work because Alcaraz is perfectly willing to finish at net. I don’t think Djokovic has the means to overpower him, and that’s a tough ask for anyone at this point.
Congratulation to a better player Alcaraz. But why the word "dethrone". Djokovic is on the throne with 23 slams, 389 weeks as number 1, 38 masters..... Roger is on the throne in Wimbeldon, Nadal i Paris, Djokovic in Australia.... Alcaraz did not dethrone anybody, anywhere, in any of the statistics. He just won one game against Djokovic. And he may in 20 years dethrone everybody indeed. He is so good. But he has not done it yesterday. Just a great win.
Absolutely.
I am so sorry for Novak but happy for Alcatraz he brings so much happiness and pleasure to watch him amazing match thank you Gill you’re the best love your analysis ❤️👍👏🙏🇬🇧
Gill:). Just an amazing analysis man! You’ve helped me so much to look at the game in so many new ways. And also to help me understand what players are thinking when they prepare for each point. Incredible bro, and thank you:)
Big win for Carlitos. Tennis really needed this. US open will sure be exciting now!:)
And I fully agree with your take on Novak. Motivation etc. if he won the calendar slam. You are dead on bro. And I loved your counter to Joel when he brought up Sampras. And you said well, what if Borg had 15 slams? It makes so much sense what you said. Love it Gill:)
I was worried after the first set but Alcaraz settled down and adjusted his game to make a match of it. Great match and so refreshing having a brand new Wimbledon champion.
Hopefully the likes of Sinner & Rune can take inspiration and improve to challenge for these prestigious majors
Sinner and rune will be the Tsonga and berdych of this era
@@user-wq2wp7pi7rWe already have the tonga and berdych of this Era... they still have room for improvement and have been improving year by year
@@malekat8539yeah we have them. They are tsisipas Medvedev zverev and soon rune and sinner
@user-wq2wp7pi7r Rune and Sinner are in their early twenties, so calling them the next Tsonga and berdych is crazy considering Novak also wasn't at an elite level until later in his years.
Medvedev already won a GS (and has the 2nd highest titles currently on tour), so you can't pit him in the same lines as Steph or Zverev, who have yet to win a GS.
Rune and Sinner will improve as they have shown already. I believe it'll be similar to the WTA with how far ahead Iga was from everyone else, then Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Jabeur came along and balanced out the competition.
They'll be a "re-balancing" in the ATP soon.
@user-wq2wp7pi7r and just to add on that. Rune has reached consistent QF of GS, finals of masters, won Paris against Novak himself, and beat multiple top 10 players. At the very least, you can't put Rune on that tier
great analyses as always, many thanks to all of us who want to understand this incredible game of tennis. this is not the Critique, just my observation about Alcaraz. many people, you included are saying that he's not so good when being rushed, and that is true. what I've seen in this match was: it was not the opponent rushing him, it was Carlos himself on many many occasions. maybe it has something to do with the sense of time, and in his case, he thinks he tends to think/perceive that he has less time than is the actual case. point is: he is often rushing himself. reaching for the ball, when he doesn't need to. another thing, which is related is patience. you can blame it on the youth and it would be fair in general, but Carlos showed us that he can be patient if he is focused on it as he showed in Miami against Medvedev.
now on Djokovic side of things - he lost his legs in 3rd set after that gruelling 3-1 game, and even when he got his legs back again in 4th, Carlos out moved him in 5th. something that no one did on this court before. (maybe Murray?)
last but not least- mental game. It was not all "Hakuna Matata" for Carlos, no matter what he said before the match. he got pretty frustrated and pissed off at himself, but the question is: who got more negative, more frustrated in the course of 5 sets? Novak. that's who.
in any case, this is what I was hoping for, no matter the outcome. a great, epic match. and we got that. and it was lost and won not in one decisive pattern, but in so many ways, physical, technical, strategic, and mental, so I can say with confidence: the winner of this Wimbledon final was tennis at its highest peak.
I was on the Alcaraz can beat Novak on grass camp early. I still think ppl are over blowing this changing of the guard narrative. It was an extremely close match and i don’t think Novak brought his A game, especially on serve. Alcaraz is going to win a bunch of majors, and probably end with the career H2H advantage, but Novak will still win a few in the next couple years.
But still Alcaraz has edge in future...
With time his Serve gonna improved which only helps him more
@@kingnole4237yea no I think Alcaraz will probably win the H2H career matchup. I don’t think he’s going to completely steam roll Novak is all, at least for the next 2 years or so. This match turned on a couple points. It really could have gone either way.
@@brianshin3209 100%
I’ve heard people compare this to Fed beating Sampras but to me, a better comp is McEnroe Borg. Sampras was pretty much done (although his 2002 US Open run was fun) and Fed had a few years until he started dominating. Djokovic clearly has a lot left and Alcaraz has definitely arrived as the best player in the world.
Same in 1981, McEnroe beating Borg signaled his arrival as the best in the world. Borg still had plenty in the tank but chose to retire instead unfortunately.
The changing of the guard notion may be overblown but it definitely signaled the arrival of the next era of tennis. The future appears to be in good hands with Alcaraz.
@@brianshin3209He should dominate a 36 year old player
Regarding your comment on the second set set point, since djokovic missed 2 easy backhands prior , he prolly did not want to get to a rally on set point and decided he will go to the net on first serve. If it was djokovic's set point he would not have done that. And regarding your predictions I hope the fans now understand your tennis acumen and though you got both the roland garros and wimbledon prediction wrong , I think you made the best guess based on game strengths and it was a surprising outcome in both cases. Predictions should not be biased and you I think are definitely not. Amazing analysis and keep up the good work and thank you !
I think there is another very important silver lining to Novak's defeat. Now that he has lost, he no longer needs to retain his unbeatable image. He no longer needs to show to everybody that he can not lose. And now everybody is gonna start to write him off as the old guy who is nearly finished. In other words, the pressure is off. And although everyone likes to say that Novak is a mental juggernaut, nerves are still a factor. Now that there is a new sheriff in town (Alcaraz), Djokovic no longer need's to prove anything to anyone. I think that this can elevate his game, and make him even more dangerous on the ATP. Now, he can play to win, rather than play not to lose.
Well said...as a fan. I think I'm going to feel at ease too
Good one
Excellent point
Its a good point this one, but I respectfully disagree. He's the fittest player and 23 gs champ. He SHOULD be beating a 20 year old everywhere especially on grass and hard. If he had rafas body then I'd understand but he has no physical issues and therefore no excuses. Someone who has won 23 gs and fully fit is never an underdog imo
@@raid8769 You may still think of him as the unbeatable machine. Most for most people, I think the climate has shifted. For most people, see this defeat of Djokovic as the end of the Big 3 era. Alcaraz is now the clear favorite of the US open, and perhaps the rest of the grand slams as we move forward. When Djokovic plays against Alcaraz again, the expectation will be for Alcaraz to win. Djokovic is now the underdog, and that will favor him.
Alcaraz was brilliant no question. Yet despite this, he was down set point to go down 2 sets to 0 in set 2. Despite this he faced a breakpoint in set 3 that Djokovic completely failed on when he had a simple put away in front of the net. Credit to Carlos for the win, but only a few points separated a completely different outcome.
Correction to my prior post. The breakpoint was in set 5 and match turned on this.
Novak fan here... apart from being sad with this loss, and actually happy for Carlos, I have to emphasize one thing that it's going to picture the game in general, in the next decade: Either other players would have to raise their level to pair with Carlos, or Carlos is going on a massive win strike (the one we saw with Roger from 2003-2007). There has to be balance on the field, otherwise Carlos is going to beat them all to the point where he will either lose motivation, or someone raises up his level! Novak will extend this rise of Carlos for a while, but he will end his career in few years, and then the inevitable will happen!
We still don't know how sustainable his game will be. Nadal is built like a monster and is blessed with a better frame and still spent like half his career injured, Idk if Alcaraz's body will hold up. Fed had a very graceful game and quick game, it makes sense he could sustain. Novak is also built like a monster, like a rubber band and takes intense care of it with diet, meditation, etc and still suffered injuries. We'll see but think Alcaraz will perhaps be more like a Borg.
@@aurei7775you're right it's hard to predict the future.
@@aurei7775 if other guys don't raise their level, Carlos will not need to push his body to his limits. That's why I think his body is just fine. But, if some other guy appears, I'm afraid he has to change something in order to preserve his body.
Another thing, back in 2002, Hewitt won the Wimby, and everybody was talking about conclusion of Sampras/Agassi era. Nobody was looking at young Roger that year. He was just another talented guy on the field. Everybody praised Hewitt and the new era of tennis that is about to begin. We all know what happened to that Hewitt era.
@@vlasteemeerbabych5407 That is the thing, there is still a low sample size on this kid. Lots can change. And the more exchanges these new players have the more they grow and push each other,. Novak himself said this Fed & Nadal pushed him. Competition breeds betterment. And there is the tactical side of finding patterns, weaknesses with more bouts.
As for longevity, even straight forward matches there is mileage done on the body, I think even that Muller game vs alcaraz lasted quite long or a 3 setter. Obviously we don't see everything. I believe even in RG where Novak won, there was a lot injuries, and you obviously don't want to bring up since it's seen as making excuses and he was playing competitively.
@@aurei7775 as for RG... it was a lesson for Carlos and his team... they have to change something in the game.... and personally... I don't think he changed anything. He is young and his body will long term suffer without him knowing that. I see hem closest to Rafa, and we all know how his body suffered just because his game style was such. He destroyed his body, unlike Roger or Novak. I just don't want that to happen to Carlos. But as we agreed - it is way too early. Remember the hype around Dominic Team? He was great, and boom... his body had to fall apart at one point.
Thanks for your fine analysis, as usual.
It is wonderful to see a young player with prime physical and technical skills along with an excellent attitude. One also gets the impression that Alcaraz knows he can and wants to improve.
Alcaraz's adaptive skill is very very high even praised by Djokovic.He played like seasoned grass court player.Very good 😊 If he plays like this on grass so you can imagine on HC and clay 😮
King exactly like Nole said in his press I thought I only had to worry about you on clay and hard now grass great quote bro
Alcaraz tennis IQ is incredibly high and that's why he can adapt on the fly and pull something out from his bag of tricks.
Novak said in his press interview that Alcaraz is a complete player & you can see that in his game. His strong baseline rally, powerful passing shots, accurate drop shots at the net and mix his game from the baseline & at the net. These are the game quality of the big 3 top players that have dominated the sport.
Almost everone including guys like you make him an underdog, that definitely helped alcaraz to play with almost zero pressure with grass labelled as his least preferred and weakest surface
This is always the case. The big player responsibility is to carry that not the new player
@@innosanto I mean for sure but considering novak's mental game and endurance and alcaraz's lack of grass experience, no one even dared to give alacaraz a chance. The case was different in French open where many expected either it's 50-50 or alcaraz win. I would say even in Wimbledon considering how well alcaraz played until finals, it was still 50-50.i am just talking about giving that 50 percent chance.Obviously French open made this guy a far better player at handling nerves
Thanks Gill for the fantastic 2 weeks of Wimbledon broadcast!
Amazing match. And those easy misses from Nole hurt... I know they will haunt Nole for a while too. I wonder if he'll use this as a motivation to push harder for next GS, or if his mind is heading in direction of winding down the career. He mentioned in a Serbian interview post-match, that he's not sure if he has "years or months" left ahead of him. Made me really sad. Part of me thinks next AO might be last GS. 😢
As a decade long Novak fan, he is like that. Right after Nadal announced that next year is his last, Novak said something along those lines too, that he doesn't know how much more he's going to play. I think if anything this gives him more motivation to win. I feel that playing with his children watching is an experience that Novak enjoys and wants to have a few more years. But the end is nearer and nearer, no doubt it. Tennis won't be the same to me after he retires...
I am aNovak fan, but I am a Tennis fan. Novak is GOAT. Novak is legend! I am learning to accept change. Alcaraz is for real. No need for Novak fans to be loose our minds. Novak is 36 yrs old. There must be a change.
Love Alcaraz! I didn't think Novak's precise serve would allow Carlitos to get the win, yet (much due to the wind?) Novak only served two or three aces in 5 sets, a poor serving day by his standards. Such a high quality win for Carlitos!
This was his worst serving performance ever.
Carlos is also an amazing returner so that was a big factor. He held Med to only 5 aces in the semi final. Med was averaging about 5 or more per set in the tournament before he met Alcaraz.
This is a wonderful breakdown Gill. Very few commentators goes to such depth. Fantastic. Do you feel like Alcaraz’s key to success on the mental side is exactly what on Jabeaur is missing?
This match looked very similar to RG 2015 final vs Stan. Novak scrambled and defended for long parts but with his forehand not being effective, he got overpowered!
Well Nole had Alcaraz on the run a good amount but that doesn't matter with Carlos's speed and how he turns defense into offense
You forget that this isn't clay it is gras and nole's best surface by far
Can't agree with you more, and that's exactly what Novak will do over and over again, play defensive tennis ad nauseum, and wait for the opponent to make errors. Wawrinka actually plays Novak even more aggressively than Alcaraz played Novak, taking a huge amount of risks, but still he would totally dominate Novak in both slam finals, the FO and the US OPEN. And even the slam matches he lost they were five setters, and all the same, Wawrinka being the sharpshooter, Novak morphing into a goal tender ..
@@gremsa HC is Novak's best surface. There is just more competition for him on that surface. Most of the next gen guys are significantly better on HC than grass. He has 3 more slams at AO alone than he does at Wimbledon.
According to the stats, Alcaraz ran 6607m and Djokovic 6195m, so no, Djokovic wasn’t defending for “long parts.” Alcaraz was just able to turn defense into offense faster, played the bigger points better and he handled the conditions really well. In the end, he ended up with more winners than UE while the opposite was true for Novak, and that’s why he lost. In spite of that, the difference between the two was only two points. They had the exact same number of points and games won until the fifth set 5-4 30 all, and then Alcaraz won the next two, and that’s the match.
What a great channel and analysis :) As a Djoker fan it was frustrating to see the two missed routine backhands in the tiebreak and the drive miss you mentioned in the 5th set break point. Do you think Djokovic will have same problems with the wind at the US open ? Is this the reason he's "only" won 3 there and Nadal 4?
That and faster higher bouncing tennis balls
Like Federer said it is very very hard to win all 4 majors in a year, somebody will stop you, .
Safin was mentioned, I think you have to consider his US Open win against Sampras in 2000. He was 20 years old.