Wimbledon final: Novak Djokovic is disappointed with his missed opportunities

WIMBLEDON, England –

Regret? Novak Djokovic has two.

There was that tiebreak quite early in Sunday’s Wimbledon final, when the 36-year-old Serb was one point from a two sets to nil lead over his 20-year-old opponent, Carlos Alcaraz.

And then there was that missed volley at the breaking point early in the fifth set, with all the momentum going the seven-time Wimbledon champion’s side at that stage.

“Some regrets,” said Djokovic after losing 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an energetic and highly entertaining championship game on Center Court. “I had my chances. I think I could have closed that tiebreak better in the second set. But I thank him for fighting and showing incredible defensive skills, passing shots that gave him the break in the fifth.

“He was without a doubt a deserved winner today.”

Djokovic has been a deserved winner so many times in the past. Seven times here at the All England Club, earning one win to tie Roger Federer with a men’s record eight grass court Grand Slam titles. And 23 times overall at major championships, tied for most with Serena Williams in the Open era, which began in 1968.

For example, in 2019, Federer went for his ninth Wimbledon title while Djokovic was the defending champion. Federer had two match points in the fifth set, but Djokovic saved them both, forcing a tiebreak at 12-12 and then running away to claim his fifth championship.

“I’ve won some epic finals that I almost lost,” said Djokovic, who had previously mentioned those match points in his on-pitch interview at the trophy presentation. “Maybe this is a fair deal, I think, to lose a game like this for me here.”

After flying through the first set on a windy day, the pair exchanged service breaks early in the second, ahead of the eventual tiebreaker.

Djokovic took a 3-0 lead and having won his last 15 tiebreaks in Grand Slam play, things were looking good for the four-time defending champion. But Alcaraz won three consecutive points, including an ace of 109 mph, to tie again. Then, with a set point and a serve from Alcaraz at 6-5, Djokovic shot a backhand into the net. And then another.

“The backhands let me down a bit, to be honest,” said Djokovic. “Setpoint, I missed the backhand. He played a backhand that was quite long in court, had a bit of a bad bounce. But I shouldn’t have missed that shot.

“Then on 6-all, another backhand from center of the field into the net. Just two very bad backhands. That’s all. The game shifted to his side. It turned around.”

Djokovic hasn’t missed too many of those shots over the years. In fact, his last defeat at Wimbledon was way back in 2017 when he retired with an injury in the second set of his quarterfinal. His last defeat on Center Court was in the 2013 final against Andy Murray.

“Beating Novak at his best, at this stage, making history,” said Alcaraz, “to be the man to beat him after 10 years undefeated on that field is amazing for me.”

That other point Djokovic mentioned? The other regret? That miss was even more surprising – especially since it came from a man who has made a career out of taking shot after shot and waiting for his opponents to screw up.

Alcaraz served in the second game of the final set and Djokovic had what appeared to be an easy volley to break a 2-0 lead – the kind of lead he doesn’t often relinquish. But his forehand went into the top of the net instead of over it, allowing Alcaraz to recover. In the next match, the Spaniard broke, giving him the lead he needed to win his second major title after last year’s US Open championship.

“I managed to regroup halfway through the fourth (set) and get the momentum back,” said Djokovic. “I felt the momentum shifting to my side. That was my chance. That was my chance. That break point, I think I played a really good point, sort of set up a drive volley.

“It was very, very windy today. The wind kind of took it, yes, to an awkward place where I couldn’t hit the smash, I had to hit the drive volley and drop back. I saw him run perfectly to the opposite corner. I actually wanted to throw him off with that drive-volley, and I missed.’