"Keep laughing, John McEnroe" - IBM top brass hits back after being proved right in Carlos Alcaraz's win over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon

An IBM executive has responded to John McEnroe's mockery of an AI-generated prediction that correctly forecasted Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final.

Alcaraz emerged victorious in the Wimbledon final that spanned four hours and 42 minutes, defeating the 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to claim his first-ever title at SW19.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) had joined forces with computing giant IBM to enhance the coverage and online experience during the Wimbledon Championships, with AI technology playing a significant role. At the beginning of the final, IBM projected a graphic displaying the AI-generated prediction of the match winner. Surprisingly, the graphic predicted that Carlos Alcaraz would triumph over Djokovic.

John McEnroe, who was doing commentary at that moment, found the prediction amusing.

"Astonishment! What they know something we don’t? Yeah that could be the only possibility. What do they see that we don't? You see a lot the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure they’re watching closely enough the last 10 years. Or the last couple of weeks for that matter. However he (Alcaraz) was the odds makers favourite before the French semi. Djokovic is the favourite here," McEnroe said.

Noah Syken, the vice president of Global Sponsorships at IBM, has now expressed his discontent with McEnroe's mockery of the AI-generated match-winner prediction, which ultimately proved to be accurate. Syken took to social media to suggest that IBM had discovered a unique insight within the data that no one else had noticed.

"Keep laughing @PatrickMcEnroe @cbfowler and JohnMcEnroe. Yes @carlosalcaraz won. I guess we found something in the data nobody else did," Syken tweeted.

Noah Syken's tweet

Carlos Alcaraz becomes the first player to qualify for ATP Finals 2023 after his Wimbledon triumph

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Carlos Alcaraz has become the player to secure a spot in the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. The tournament is set to take place in the city of Turin, Italy, from November 12 to 19, 2023.

Alcaraz's qualification was confirmed after he won his first Wimbledon title. He has accumulated 6,675 points from 10 tournaments in 2023, helping him secure one of the eight spots for the year-end championship.

To announce the Spaniard's qualification, a picture of Alcaraz was projected onto the iconic Mole Antonelliana building, a renowned landmark in Turin.

Alcaraz was unable to participate in the 2023 Australian Open, but he quickly bounced back by securing his first title of the season at the 2023 Argentina Open. The win marked the beginning of an extraordinary streak for Alcaraz, as he went on to conquer the Indian Wells Open, the Barcelona Open, and the Madrid Open. He also won the Queens Club Championships, clinching his first career title on grass.

Carlos Alcaraz had also secured his spot in the 2022 ATP Finals. However, he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an internal oblique muscle tear in his left abdominal wall.