In 2020, I wrote an article about the Big Three, “Who will be the greatest tennis player of all time?”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/tenisin-gelmis-gecmis-en-buyugu-kim-olacak . Two years after this article, Roger Federer announced his retirement. Last year, I also wrote this tearful farewell to Roger Federer, my personal favorite of the Big Three: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/gercek-bir-tenis-efsanesine-veda
Nadal hasn’t retired yet, but due to chronic injuries, he couldn’t even compete in the French Open, his most successful clay-court tournament this year. It’s creating a feeling that “he’s finally retired.” Novak Djokovic is the only player left among the Big Three who still beats everyone and, as always, plays tournaments like the biggest favorite.
In other words, we haven’t officially reached the end of the era of Swiss Roger Federer, Spanish Rafael Nadal, and Serbian Novak Djokovic, the so-called Big Three (or ‘Big Three’) who have dominated tennis for the last 20 years. If Nadal can overcome his chronic injury, he could continue competing for a few more years, and if he’s lucky (the tournament matchups are also important), he could even win a Grand Slam. Thanks to his mental strength, I think Djokovic will continue for another 5-6 years. As always, by taking advantage of opportunities, he can increase the number of tournament wins and even break the women’s record for most Grand Slam wins ever.
A first in 20 years
However, the recent Wimbledon tournament, which concluded with Spanish tennis player Alcaraz’s victory, presented a picture like this for the first time in 20 years: Federer, one of the Big Three, is retired, Nadal is still injured and it’s difficult (but possible) for him to continue, and Djokovic, the most successful of the Big Three, has looked so ineffective against a younger player for the first time in his career, including in the matches he lost.
Alcaraz’s brilliant and versatile game made a legend like Djokovic seem like an ordinary player. With his unique and surprising combinations, Alcaraz showed everyone that he can dominate the game in sets. This was the first time in the history of tennis in the last 20 years that tennis fans witnessed such a Grand Slam final. Alcaraz became the first and only player of the new generation to dominate Djokovic in this way.
Alcaraz’s life and career
Let’s take a brief look at Alcaraz’s life story. Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is ranked No. 1 in the world in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Alcaraz has won 12 singles titles, including the 2022 US Open, the 2023 Wimbledon title, and four Masters 1000 titles. With his US Open victory, Alcaraz became the youngest man to top the singles rankings at 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days old, and the first teenager to top the men’s rankings in the Open Era.
More recently, Alcaraz, seeded No. 31 in a Grand Slam for the first time in 2022, reached the third round of the Australian Open before losing to Matteo Berrettini in five sets. This year, he defeated Australian Alex de Minaur in two sets in the Queen’s Club Championships final to capture his first career grass title. His victory in London also propelled him to No. 1 in the world rankings. As the top seed at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, he defeated Jérémy Chardy, Alexandre Muller, Nicolas Jarry, Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev to reach the final. He defeated Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, ending Djokovic’s 34-match Wimbledon winning streak (see: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Alcaraz )
Key moments and comments
I’d like to share with you the key moments from this epic Wimbledon final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic:
Now, let’s watch what Djokovic and Alcaraz said after the final:
Novak Djokovic:
Carlos Alcaraz:
The moment Carlos Alcaraz shared the award with his fans:
And finally, Djokovic’s statement, “Alcaraz Let’s watch the press conference held after the 2023 Wimbledon tournament, where he admitted, “He’s taken the best of Nadal, Federer, and me.”
Alcaraz from my own perspective I’d also like to share what I like about Alcaraz, the first tennis player from the new generation after Roger Federer to inspire a similar affection in me:
1) He’s the first tennis player of the new generation who can be said to have “beaten all three of the big three in a row.” However, last year, at just 19 years old, he reached the final of the Madrid Open by defeating Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Thus, Alcaraz became the first tennis player to beat Djokovic and Nadal consecutively in a single tournament. He then easily defeated Alexander Zverev, then the world number three, in the final to win the tournament. Consequently, while other new-generation tennis players occasionally challenge the big three, none have inspired the same sense of dominating victory against the big three as Alcaraz. This is a first.
2) Good character is crucial in a tennis player. Alcaraz has demonstrated both good character and likability in the tournaments he has participated in. He is confident enough to tell the King of Spain, “He came to two of my matches, I won both. I look forward to seeing you again at my matches.” After his final match victory, he made Djokovic laugh by saying, “We’ve been watching the Big Three since I was born.” He presents a sympathetic profile, speaking the truth without offending.
3) I find Alcaraz’s appearance reminiscent of my younger self. Both his facial features and physique are very similar to mine. Until I quit tennis at 11, I played in Alcaraz’s style: right-handed and two-handed backhand. I ran a lot and loved going to the net. I was constantly experimenting with different strokes. Seeing this in him and watching him dominate every match with this style gave me special joy.
4) He proved that he has a champion’s character even under pressure. He showed everyone a match that made even a mentally superior tennis player like Djokovic question his confidence.
5) As Djokovic described, he presented a complete tennis player who embodied the best qualities of the Big Three. Roger Federer’s unique and delightful shots, Nadal’s athletic and combative style, and Djokovic’s mental strength, combined with his relentless dedication to the game, have shown everyone that he embodies all of these qualities.
6) Just as Mike Tyson pummeled Larry Holmes (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson_vs._Larry_Holmes ), who forced Muhammad Ali, his admirer, to quit boxing, Alcaraz avenged his nearly five-hour (the longest final of the tournament) defeat of Roger Federer, a defeat everyone thought was their due, in the 2019 Wimbledon final. This gave me added joy. When those who replace legends in sports history make entrances like Mike Tyson and Carlos Alcaraz, they signal the arrival of new legends.
I wish Carlos Alcaraz, whom I rank among my favorite tennis players, like Roger Federer, the best of luck and a bright future, and a career filled with success. May Alcaraz, who shines like the sun, continue to be an example for young tennis players who will follow him.
Bonus: I’m sharing the final match of the 2023 Wimbledon, where Alcaraz won the championship, to ease your lingering curiosity:
Tags: memoir
