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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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! ;)
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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/
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
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.
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!
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 😂
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%!!
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...
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.
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.
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!
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 ✌🏽
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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
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.)🏆
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:)
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.
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
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
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.
I have been subbed since your videos were under 800 views :) finally getting the credit you deserve. Just proves that hard, dedicated, and honest work pays off!
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
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
"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.
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 ❤️👍👏🙏🇬🇧
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 .
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.
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 😮
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.
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 🇨🇦🙌💖
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
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.
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…
This has to go down as one of the greatest individual sports finals ever, especially because of the HUGE gap between Alcaraz and Djokovic, with almost literally EVERYONE accepting that the likelihood of Alcaraz winning a 5 setter against the legend was pretty small, forget about Alcaraz winning in 3 or 4 sets!!! Almost every sign or data you could think of pointed in only ONE direction - a Novak victory but yes maybe Carlos “might” be able to last 5 sets while going down valiantly. After all, come on!! First Wimbledon final for the 20 yo., Novak on a 35 match winning spree, 4 consecutive years as champion, had caused Carlos to cramp up in the FO at Roland Garros with his mental Jedi powers, had made every opponent look like an amateur, was making fun of opponents, mocking the audience, coming up with smug bumper sticker statements like “36 is the new 26” and “it ain’t happening”, 23 grand slams, going for the 24th to tie Margaret Court, the Calendar Slam, playing at the greatest and MOST peak form of his life, even the great Rafa needed 3 attempts to dethrone Roger…..the litany of smug “come on what are you smoking” retorts against an Alcaraz victory could fill a bible of its own. And once the first set was over which Alcaraz lost 1-6, looking lost and out of sorts, the writing was pretty much on the wall at that point. Sports is awesome and probably humanity’s greatest gift to itself in creating the greatest real life triumphant underdog stories that are unforgettable, and endlessly inspiring and motivating across generations ….and boy did we get one in this final!!! Everyone had likely written of Alcaraz when at the end of Set 1, he had lost 1-6…..except Alcaraz!!!! He then started something that will go down in the history of Grand Slam finals as one of the GREATEST comebacks ever, if not the greatest given just how steep all odds were stacked against him, at that turning point. He let go of all nervousness, stepped up boldly, played fearlessly, got into the flow of his natural game and let his talent explode holding nothing back. He turned the situation around a 180 degrees to take the 2nd set 7-6 after a tense tie breaker. It was Novak’s turn to slump and slump he did with a 1-6 write off of the 3rd set. Novak then played his customary clock games, bio breaks, racket smashes and tried to stem the tide with a 4th set 6-3 win but it was going to be uphill for Djokovic now. 36 is the new 26 sounds great as a bumper sticker catchphrase in a pleasant post match interview after a comfortable win but….36 is just 36 nothing more when you are having your ass handed to you by a super talented super motivated fearless 20 yo like Alcaraz who is running rings around you and that started showing in rally after rally, shot after shot in the 5th. By the end of the match Novak had even stopped trying….and the new sheriff in town finally checked in. A match for the ages …….thank you Alcaraz for getting everyone off of their couches and seats and roaring and cheering for a young, fresh breath of wind and air that has swished into the realms of the Big 3 grown long dark and frozen by endless dominance, and for breathing new life and a new spring into tennis after nearly 3 decades of a 3-note but now growing stale orchestra ……..here’s hoping and praying that there are no health and fitness scares in your life for the foreseeable future, just take care of that man, and then your unbelievable raw talent will take care of the rest……vamooooos “Charly” Carlos!!!
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!
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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
Hi Gill thanks a lot for another great analysis. I would add something though: when a match is that close ( like fed/Djokovic final or djokovic/nadal semi in wimbledon) it’s hard to comment on why a player has won or lost. Eventually the outcome in these cases is a matter of which player has the final switch and dealed better, most of the points that matters. Indeed it’s hard to say Alcaraz played better when Djokovic wasted a set point to lead 2 sets to 0, with uncharacateristic backhand errors. Or has fallen short on breaking in the 5th. Same thing could have been said if Djokovic had won, that Alcaraz was right there. In conclusion we have to accept that part of the outcome of close matches is random and identify which are these close matches. And it actually looked a lot like all these close FED Nadal Djokovic battles. The conclusion of this match for me is we have a new rivalery. In comparision it’s like in soccer, you can’t justify a better strategy for one team or another, in a close game, where the outcome was given by a last second goal. Eventually you have to see many matches or a championship to start bringing a durable statement
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 ....
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.
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 👏
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 think it’s right to say Alcaraz has significant elements of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. But I also see a lot of Sampras, especially with the huge forehand and an innate desire to get to the net.
He's the combination of Nadal and Federer, you can clearly see it. When he plays he looks like both of them at the same time which is weird for us that are used to seeing them playing separately.😅
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 !
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.
Great point you focus on- Alcaraz being process oriented saying this is the greatest day of my life whether he wins or loses. Not results focused. So important. And like Gil said in his 3 podcast it would be good if tons can get this attitude great to just be there- and not be so focused on winning.
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.
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
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.
Carlos is very mature and complete. He's running deep in every major.
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.
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.
Carlos gave Novak a dose of his own medicine by dropping the 1st set
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.
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! ;)
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.
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.
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
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?
Gil - great job as always!
No one comes close to breaking tennis down on YT like you!
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!
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!
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
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❤❤❤❤❤
Interesting what Nole mentioned in his press conference. He is impressed by Carlos way of adapting game
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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 😂
Great match and performance
Congrats Alcaraz for the title winner🏆👏👏🍓
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%!!
Appreciate the coverage, Gill ✌️
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...
Always love your analysis ! Keep up the good work!!! 👍
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.
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
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.
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
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 ✌🏽
Am so happy for Carlos Alcaraz to lift that iconic and prestigious trophy 🏆
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.
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
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 .
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.
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.
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!
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
People don't talk about Alcaraz returns enough but I suppose theres a lot to talk about with his game lol
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.)🏆
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:)
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
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
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
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.
Thanks Gill for the fantastic 2 weeks of Wimbledon broadcast!
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
I have been subbed since your videos were under 800 views :) finally getting the credit you deserve. Just proves that hard, dedicated, and honest work pays off!
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
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
"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.
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 ❤️👍👏🙏🇬🇧
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 🇨🇦🙌💖
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
@@Crispin-g1rWe 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
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.
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?
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
Always well sharpened analysis. Nice job Gill, Cheers from Spain,
This has to go down as one of the greatest individual sports finals ever, especially because of the HUGE gap between Alcaraz and Djokovic, with almost literally EVERYONE accepting that the likelihood of Alcaraz winning a 5 setter against the legend was pretty small, forget about Alcaraz winning in 3 or 4 sets!!! Almost every sign or data you could think of pointed in only ONE direction - a Novak victory but yes maybe Carlos “might” be able to last 5 sets while going down valiantly.
After all, come on!! First Wimbledon final for the 20 yo., Novak on a 35 match winning spree, 4 consecutive years as champion, had caused Carlos to cramp up in the FO at Roland Garros with his mental Jedi powers, had made every opponent look like an amateur, was making fun of opponents, mocking the audience, coming up with smug bumper sticker statements like “36 is the new 26” and “it ain’t happening”, 23 grand slams, going for the 24th to tie Margaret Court, the Calendar Slam, playing at the greatest and MOST peak form of his life, even the great Rafa needed 3 attempts to dethrone Roger…..the litany of smug “come on what are you smoking” retorts against an Alcaraz victory could fill a bible of its own.
And once the first set was over which Alcaraz lost 1-6, looking lost and out of sorts, the writing was pretty much on the wall at that point.
Sports is awesome and probably humanity’s greatest gift to itself in creating the greatest real life triumphant underdog stories that are unforgettable, and endlessly inspiring and motivating across generations ….and boy did we get one in this final!!!
Everyone had likely written of Alcaraz when at the end of Set 1, he had lost 1-6…..except Alcaraz!!!! He then started something that will go down in the history of Grand Slam finals as one of the GREATEST comebacks ever, if not the greatest given just how steep all odds were stacked against him, at that turning point.
He let go of all nervousness, stepped up boldly, played fearlessly, got into the flow of his natural game and let his talent explode holding nothing back.
He turned the situation around a 180 degrees to take the 2nd set 7-6 after a tense tie breaker. It was Novak’s turn to slump and slump he did with a 1-6 write off of the 3rd set.
Novak then played his customary clock games, bio breaks, racket smashes and tried to stem the tide with a 4th set 6-3 win but it was going to be uphill for Djokovic now.
36 is the new 26 sounds great as a bumper sticker catchphrase in a pleasant post match interview after a comfortable win but….36 is just 36 nothing more when you are having your ass handed to you by a super talented super motivated fearless 20 yo like Alcaraz who is running rings around you and that started showing in rally after rally, shot after shot in the 5th.
By the end of the match Novak had even stopped trying….and the new sheriff in town finally checked in.
A match for the ages …….thank you Alcaraz for getting everyone off of their couches and seats and roaring and cheering for a young, fresh breath of wind and air that has swished into the realms of the Big 3 grown long dark and frozen by endless dominance, and for breathing new life and a new spring into tennis after nearly 3 decades of a 3-note but now growing stale orchestra ……..here’s hoping and praying that there are no health and fitness scares in your life for the foreseeable future, just take care of that man, and then your unbelievable raw talent will take care of the rest……vamooooos “Charly” Carlos!!!
Wow good text , maybe lacking Novak vs hecklers \umpire thing and whole mental side of tennis.
You can write a book :)
Wonderful comment!
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.
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....
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
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.
Superb analysis Gill.
There is a new kid in town, and we have to celebrate.
Loved Carlos wipe the smirk off Novak's face.
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.
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….
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?
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
Thank you very much Dr Gross😊
For taking care of me after this loss😂😂😂😂 all under the eyes of Andy Murray 🎉
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.
Amazing analysis!!!!! Thanks Gill
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.
Your analysis is appreciated. Thanks
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
Hi Gill thanks a lot for another great analysis.
I would add something though: when a match is that close ( like fed/Djokovic final or djokovic/nadal semi in wimbledon) it’s hard to comment on why a player has won or lost. Eventually the outcome in these cases is a matter of which player has the final switch and dealed better, most of the points that matters.
Indeed it’s hard to say Alcaraz played better when Djokovic wasted a set point to lead 2 sets to 0, with uncharacateristic backhand errors. Or has fallen short on breaking in the 5th.
Same thing could have been said if Djokovic had won, that Alcaraz was right there.
In conclusion we have to accept that part of the outcome of close matches is random and identify which are these close matches.
And it actually looked a lot like all these close FED Nadal Djokovic battles.
The conclusion of this match for me is we have a new rivalery.
In comparision it’s like in soccer, you can’t justify a better strategy for one team or another, in a close game, where the outcome was given by a last second goal. Eventually you have to see many matches or a championship to start bringing a durable statement
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 ....
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
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
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 think it’s right to say Alcaraz has significant elements of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. But I also see a lot of Sampras, especially with the huge forehand and an innate desire to get to the net.
He's the combination of Nadal and Federer, you can clearly see it. When he plays he looks like both of them at the same time which is weird for us that are used to seeing them playing separately.😅
Me too I also see Sampras and Del Potro.
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 !
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
Great point you focus on- Alcaraz being process oriented saying this is the greatest day of my life whether he wins or loses.
Not results focused. So important. And like Gil said in his 3 podcast it would be good if tons can get this attitude great to just be there- and not be so focused on winning.
Carlos broke the last frontier! It is scary thinking about what level will he be at next year…
Thanks Gill for this tournament, see you in US Open