"The day Carlos Alcaraz became a man" - Boris Becker calls Spaniard's Wimbledon win over Novak Djokovic a definite 'changing of the guard' 

Tennis legend Boris Becker believes Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon 2023 has marked a "changing of the guard." According to Becker, the final was a maturity test for Alcaraz, who has been consistently putting up spectacular shows on the tour.

Alcaraz has been dubbed the "next big thing" in tennis ever since winning his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open. The 20-year-old further cemented his ascendancy by winning a five-set epic on Centre Court, preventing Djokovic from leveling Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles.

In a reel posted on his Instagram account, Boris Becker talked about the clash between Djokovic and Alcaraz, saying it will always be remembered as the day the latter "became a man."

"I see it as a changing of the guard," said Boris Becker. "I see it as a match that will go down in history. And we will be talking about it in ten years. That’s the day Carlos Alcaraz became a man."

Becker further highlighted just how great an achievement this is for the young Spaniard given that he had to beat the most successful player of all time in Djokovic. Being the top seed already, it was all the more important for Alcaraz to prove his mettle in a Grand Slam final against the Serb, according to Becker.

"Who did he do it against? Yes, against the most successful of all time, not just anyone," Becker said. "He was also already ranked number one in the world, even before the tournament. But at the end of the day, you have to show it in a Grand Slam final against the best of the bunch and that’s Djokovic."

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The path ahead for Carlos Alcaraz

By earning 2000 ATP points with his victory at SW19, Carlos Alcaraz has become the first player to qualify for the 2023 ATP Finals. But before the year-ending tournament, the Spaniard will be focused on defending his title at the US Open. Should he do so successfully, he will likely end the season as the top-ranked player.

Alcaraz will soon be representing his country at the Hopman Cup, partnering up with Rebeka Masarova for the team event.

“I can’t wait to be there. Playing for Spain is always a source of pride,” Alcaraz said ahead of the event.

Spain will take on Belgium’s David Goffin and Elise Mertens in Nice, France this week.