Alcaraz defends Wimbledon title

LONDON -- Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets to defend the men's singles title at the Wimbledon Championships here on Sunday.

It's a repeat of the 2023 showpiece as the Spaniard youngster defeated the Serbian veteran in five sets to lift his maiden Wimbledon title.

A 14-minute-long opening game saw Djokovic broken in the fifth breaking point and the 37-year-old couldn't find a way to come back before losing to Alcaraz 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).

"He was the better player from the beginning till the end," said the seven-time Wimbledon champion, Djokovic. "I tried to fight my way in the third and come back, saving three match points, extending really the match a little bit. But I guess it was inevitable for him to win today because he was just coming out on the court with a better quality tennis. It's as simple as it is."

Alcaraz broke in the 10th game in the third set and held three championship points in the next game. 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic managed to drag the match to tiebreak, but couldn't hold off a fearsome Alcaraz to clinch his fourth Grand Slam title at the age of 21.

The Spaniard also became only the sixth man in the Open era to win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back the same year.

"Obviously it's a really great start of my career, but I have to keep going. I have to keep building my path," Alcaraz said. "At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys."