Alcaraz finishes off the changing of the guard in world tennis at Wimbledon

King Felipe VI asked Carlos Alcaraz after lifting the Wimbledon tournament what he had felt in the final moments of the match. The youngster replied that he had remembered one of the most painful defeats in Federer's history, including a comeback in the tie-break. It was one of those matches that only have room in the heads of professionals and which they pull out of when things are going well so as not to become overconfident.  

Felipe VI, along with Prince William, Kate Middleton, Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, attended an epic match at the All England Club that lasted more than four hours with a game that lasted more than half an hour. Alcaraz and his 20 years against Djokovic and his 36 years in which he has won the Wimbledon Cup seven times. 

That Alcaraz was not the same who withdrew from Roland Garros a few weeks ago because of some pain that is not yet known if they were more physical than mental. The player from Murcia himself said that everything had changed in this time and that he had fallen in love with grass, a terrain that has never been suitable for Spanish tennis players. 

The final was at the highest level, worthy of a veteran like Djokovic who has 35 Grand Slam finals despite the fact that his stance against the COVID cost him to be deported from Australia or to be prevented from playing in Indian Wells and Miami in early 2023. That put the brakes on his projection and we will never know what would have become of his successful career if he had been allowed to defend his titles.  

Opposite Carlos Alcaraz, a new breed of tennis player. Raised in the academy of Juan Carlos Ferrero and with a sports education closer to the Big Three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) than to the rest of spoiled children who have come to the circuit to make more noise than to lift titles. 

There were legendary points that their protagonists celebrated with their fists raised, looking at their teams. But there were also errors that Alcaraz digested better than Djokovic, who managed to smash his racket against the wooden stick holding the net. The racket was deformed, the wood marked forever and he was warned by the judge not to pay for his mistakes again with the material of the select English tennis club.  

Talking about the projection of Carlos Alcaraz is a lottery. Everything indicates that he is Spain's new sporting icon. The press is already bowing to his talent, but it is better to enjoy every tournament of this kid from Murcia who, little by little, is conquering the big advertising firms as he displays his potential on the courts.  

London already knows Carlos. Now he has to go to Australia and pay his respects in Paris, land of Rafa Nadal, that unattainable tennis player that Alcaraz looks down on.