"Carlos Alcaraz was very hot today" - Novak Djokovic magnanimous in Wimbledon final defeat, dubs Spaniard the 'deserving winner'

Carlos Alcaraz produced a tennis masterclass to get the better of Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4), thus clinching a second successive Wimbledon title on Sunday, July 14.

Displaying incredible athleticism, sublime strokeplay and consistent aggression, Alcaraz overcame Djokovic in a rematch of the 2023 final, prompting the Serb to comment that his younger rival was "very hot" on the day.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion was magnanimous in defeat as he heaped praise on his opponent for playing amazing tennis while also admitting that he wasn't at his best on the big day.

"He was definitely very hot today. Obviously, not the result that I wanted and especially in the first couple of sets, the level of tennis was not up to par from my side but credit to Carlos (Alcaraz) for really playing some amazing tennis, complete tennis from the back of the court, serve, I mean he had it all today," Djokovic stated during the presentation ceremony.

Novak Djokovic noted that he did well to extend the match after Alcaraz had a chance to serve for the championships leading 5-4 (40-0) in the third set but declared philosophically that it wasn't meant to be.

Djokovic, who was aiming to equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles, called Alcaraz an "absolutely deserved winner".

"I tried to push him to save the three match points and extended the match a little bit but it wasn't meant to be really. He was an absolutely deserved winner today," Djokovic said.

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How Carlos Alcaraz overcame Novak Djokovic in enthralling Wimbledon final

Carlos Alcaraz played sublime tennis en route to a Wimbledon 2024 title (Source: GETTY)

A keenly contested fourteen-minute opening game consisting of seven deuces set the tone for the contest with Alcaraz breaking Novak Djokovic's serve before surging ahead with a confident hold at 2-0.

A second break of serve helped the Spaniard take control of the first set with Djokovic unable to gain a foothold in the face of some powerful serving by the defending champion.

After clinching the opening set 6-2, Alcaraz carried the momentum into the second with a crucial early break and took a 2-0 lead, aided in part by some uncharacteristic errors from the 37-year-old.

After a couple of much-needed holds of serve, Djokovic netted a seemingly routine return before a dreadful double fault saw him trail 2-5.

A well-directed powerful first serve was followed by a clinch of the fist from the World No. 3 who appeared well in control of proceedings after having bagged the second set.

Djokovic looked to build some momentum of his own in the third set as he manufactured a couple of admirable service holds under pressure but had no answers to his opponent's astounding court coverage and probing serves.

A backhand cross-court gave Alcaraz a break and the edge before he served for the match and the championship at 5-4 (40-0). However, he let it slip away even as the net cord came in the way a couple of times.

A pulsating tie-breaker subsequently witnessed Novak Djokovic going down fighting even as Alcaraz held his nerve to win his fourth Grand Slam title.