"Amazing mental triumph" - Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon final was the Match of the Year, says tennis analyst

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic's five-set titanic battle in the Wimbledon final has been been named the Match of the Year 2023 by tennis analyst Gill Gross on his podcast 'Monday Match Analysis.'

Alcaraz overcame Djokovic in scintillating fashion at SW19. Although the Spaniard dropped the first set 6-1, he was strong enough to fight his experienced opponent tooth and nail over the next four.

Novak Djokovic made some costly errors towards the end of the second-set tiebreaker, giving Carlos Alcaraz a new lease of life. The Spaniard pounced on this opportunity, taking the next set 6-1.

Djokovic struck back immediately, taking the fourth set 6-3. The Serb, however, was undone by his younger opponent's decision-making and shot selection under pressure. He lost the final set, and with it the match, after nearly five hours of battle.

American tennis analyst Gill Gross saw fit to give the 2023 Wimbledon men's singles final its flowers while discussing the match of the season. Gross emphasized during his podcast how the Spaniard showed no signs of nervousness ahead of the title clash.

"At Wimbledon, he [Carlos Alcaraz] had to find his sense of calm. Maybe even some enjoyment. He called it the best day of his life before he even played the match. And he ended up playing bonafide nerve-free tennis, it was an amazing mental triumph by Alcaraz," the American said.

The tennis media personality also listed the points of the match where Novak Djokovic came up short.

"Djokovic, he brought some great tennis too. And, you know, he came so close to being able to win this match. There were a few missed opportunities that would be talked about a ton. Set points, the second set to go 2-0, the tiebreaker... Djokovic missed a backhand and then another one on the next point," Gross added. "And in the fifth set... got very awkward for Djokovic. From there, Alcaraz played one of the more mindblowing fifth sets you will ever see."

Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner US Open quarterfinal was tennis analyst Gill Gross' Match of the Year in 2022

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz greet each other after their 2022 US Open match

Gill Gross, meanwhile, also reminded his fans how Carlos Alcaraz's five-set affair against Jannik Sinner was his favourite match last year. He believes that a "great backstory" was the key to great matches.

"Last year, this went to Alcaraz when he beat Sinner in the US Open quarterfinal," Gross said. "And I said last year, that every great match has a great backstory. I talked about how Sinner had beaten Alcaraz twice in a row coming into that US Open match."

"And this was somewhat similar because we were only a month removed from Alcaraz cramping in the third set against Djokovic in a highly anticipated Roland Garros semifinal," he added.

The American analyst added that Djokovic had been a firm favorite to win a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title in July this year.

"Djokovic's Wimbledon dominance, plus Carlos Alcaraz's grass experience made it so that Novak was the clear favourite in this one," he said. "This was a totally different perspective coming into this match, and Alcaraz had to change his perspective and he had to make some key adjustments to his mindset."