"No passing of torch" - Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic final not "remotely comparable" to Roger Federer-Pete Sampras match, says tennis commentator 

Reputed tennis commentator Robbie Koenig is of the opinion that the final match of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic paled in comparison to the 2001 Wimbledon match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

Alcaraz defeated 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to win his first Major title on grass. The win earned the Spaniard a well-deserved 2000 points, enabling him to maintain his position as the World No. 1 player.

Sampras and Federer, meanwhile, are widely regarded as two of the greatest grasscourt players in tennis history. Their only encounter took place on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon, during the fourth round of the 2001 Championships.

A 19-year-old Federer managed to halt Sampras' remarkable 31-match winning streak at the grasscourt Major. The Swiss defeated the four-time defending champion 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6(2)-7, 7-5 in a thriller.

On an episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, former South African player Koenig said that Carlos Alcaraz had only narrowly managed to secure the win against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

"Couple of commentators here were talking about the Federer-Sampras match being similar to that. It’s not similar at all. Djokovic has won two Majors here by the way and Alcaraz has just and only just sneaked out this one," Koenig said.

"He's [Djokovic] has such a disrupted last couple of years that, if he’s going to be in full flow and play the schedule he wants for the next three or four years he’s going to be challenging at the shop. I mean look how easily cruised through the draw at Wimbledon," he added.

Koenig further claimed there was "no passing of the torch" between the Spaniard and Djokovic. He firmly believes that their Wimbledon final cannot be compared in any way to the match between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer in 2001.

"But there's definitely no passing of the torch I don’t even think it’s remotely comparable to the Sampras-Federer match that everybody was talking about," Robbie Koenig said.

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Carlos Alcaraz to be honored with a nativity figurine, joins prestigious list including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz with the 2023 Wimbledon trophy

After winning the prestigious 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Carlos Alcaraz is all set to receive a Catalan nativity figurine as a tribute.

This accolade will place the Spaniard in the esteemed company of renowned athletes such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have also been bestowed with it.

Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon attire, consisting of a white shirt and pants, with a racket in one hand and a ball in the other, will be immortalized in the form of a Caganer. A Caganer is a figurine found in Catalan culture, representing a nativity scene character engaged in the act of defecation.

The act of immortalizing athletes through the creation of a Caganer figurine is reserved for those who have achieved something of historic significance. Djokovic has one in his Wimbledon outfit, and so has Nadal.