Carlos Alcaraz hailed Novak Djokovic as ‘amazing’ and an inspiration after beating him in the Wimbledon final on Sunday – and also vowed not to forget his All England Club card like Roger Federer when he becomes a member.
Alcaraz, 20, is the third youngest player in the Open Era to secure his first men’s singles title at Wimbledon, older only than Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg.
The Spanish world No.1 is also the first player to defeat three top-10 opponents en route to secure the title at the Championships since Pete Sampras in 1994.
Alcaraz, the second player to defeat Djokovic in a five-set Grand Slam final after Andy Murray at the US Open 11 years ago, paid tribute to the 23-time major champion after ending his remarkable 45-match winning run on Centre Court.
‘I have to congratulate Novak, it was amazing to play against him,’ Alcaraz said. ‘You inspire me a lot. I started playing tennis watching you.
‘Since I was born you were already winning tournaments. You said 36 is the new 26 and you make that happen. It’s amazing.’
Alcaraz is the third youngest player in the last 40 years to win 6+ titles in a single season, older only than Andre Agassi in 1988 and Rafael Nadal in 2005.
‘I know Roger Federer had trouble getting in without the card! It’s really special to be a member of this amazing club, really iconic. I will come for sure.’
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