Big serves win big titles.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title on the back of a stunning serving performance. Alcaraz relied heavily on his first serve to close out the match, making six straight first serves at 5-4 in the fifth set to clinch the most significant victory of his career. He served 22 service games in the final, but none mattered more than the last one.

The following serve-related statistics identify that Alcaraz took his serve up a notch or two against Djokovic compared to his previous six matches to the final.

Average Serve Speed
Alcaraz served harder in the final with his first and second serves than in any match he played in the tournament. Djokovic’s potent return game required a serve recalibration.

Alcaraz Average First Serve Speed

• Rd 1 vs. J. Chardy – 118.4 mph
• Rd 2 vs. A. Muller – 119.8 mph
• Rd 3 vs. N. Jarry – 119 mph
• Rd 4 vs. M. Berrettini – 118 mph
• QF vs. H. Rune – 118.6 mph
• SF vs. D. Medvedev – 114.8 mph
• Final vs. N. Djokovic – 121.3 mph

Alcaraz failed to reach a first-serve average of 120 mph in any match to the final. Against Djokovic, he elevated to an average of 121.3 mph. Djokovic won 30 per cent (28/94) of first-serve return points for the match but only 26 per cent (5/19) in the deciding fifth set.

Alcaraz won 70 per cent (66/94) of his first-serve points in the final, which rose to 74 per cent (14/19) in the fifth set. That was the highest win percentage of any of the five sets. Alcaraz recognised what the moment called for.

Alcaraz Average Second Serve Speed

• Rd 1 vs. J. Chardy – 97.7 mph
• Rd 2 vs. A. Muller – 99.9 mph
• Rd 3 vs. N. Jarry – 101.8 mph
• Rd 4 vs. M. Berrettini – 100.3 mph
• QF vs. H. Rune – 101.5 mph
• SF vs. D. Medvedev – 97.5 mph
• Final vs. N. Djokovic – 102.5 mph

Alcaraz won 50 per cent (28/56) of his second-serve points in the final against Djokovic, which took it out of the liability column against arguably the best returner in the world. That’s a win in anyone’s book.

Alcaraz only won 14 per cent (1/7) of second-serve points in the opening set but finished strong, winning 70 per cent (7/10) in the fifth set. The extra speed on the second serve kept Djokovic from stepping in and forcing Alcaraz Serve +1 groundstroke errors.

Body First Serves
Alcaraz cleverly served a lot at Djokovic’s body in the final to give the Serbian a third location to defend against.

Alcaraz First Serve Direction (Deuce & Ad Courts)

• Wide = 34
• Body = 24
• T = 36

Djokovic First Serve Direction (Deuce & Ad Courts)

• Wide = 54
• Body = 8
• T = 56

Alcaraz served triple the amount of first serves at the body than Djokovic (24 to 8) to jam the Serbian and give him a third target area to worry about. It worked a treat. Overall, Alcaraz had 34 per cent (32/94) of his first serves unreturned, while Djokovic was significantly lower at 25 per cent (30/118).

The icing on the cake for Alcaraz was hitting nine aces to three against the Serbian. Three of those aces came in the fifth set. Alcaraz won all five service games he served in the fifth set, with only one of his service games reaching Deuce.

Overall, Alcaraz clubbed more than twice the amount of winners than Djokovic (66 to 32), but this match boiled down to a straightforward tennis equation of hold serve/break serve.

No shot helped Alcaraz put two hands on the golden trophy more than his scintillating serve.

Entering Sunday’s Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic had not lost a match on Centre Court since 2013. Step forward Carlos Alcaraz, who ended the Serbian’s dominance at the grass-court major by capturing a thrilling five-set win.

The 20-year-old was ecstatic following his second major triumph and hopes his victory can inspire the next generation on Tour.

“Making history that I did today, it’s the happiest moment of my life,” Alcaraz said. “I think it’s not going to change for a long time. Beating Novak, winning Wimbledon championship is something that I dreamt about since I starting playing tennis. That’s why is the biggest moment of my life.

“Beating Novak at his best, in this stage, making history, being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me,” the Spaniard later added. “It’s something that I will never forget, that’s for sure. It’s great for the new generation, as well, I think to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable to do it, as well. It’s great for me and I think for the young players, as well.”

With his Tour-leading 47th win of the season, Alcaraz became just the fifth man in the Open Era (since 1968) to win multiple major titles prior to turning 21. The Spaniard’s victory also means he will begin a 29th week at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

His victory against Djokovic shows the continued rapid progress Alcaraz is making. Last month, he lost against the Serbian at Roland Garros, suffering with cramps after the second set.

“I am totally different player than Roland Garros,” Alcaraz said. “I grew up a lot since that moment. I learned a lot from that moment. As I said before the final, I took a lesson from that match. I did something different before the match. I prepared a little bit different mentally before the match. I could deal with the pressure, the nerves, better than I did at Roland Garros.

“Obviously on grass is different than on clay. But I’m really happy to be able to stay there. Didn’t get down, didn’t give up. I fought until the last ball. Every ball, I think we made great rallies, great points. It was long, long match, long sets. I think was the mental part that allow me to stay there during the five sets.”

Alcaraz now leads Djokovic 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having also defeated the World No. 2 en route to the title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid last year. Sunday’s victory was Alcaraz’s first against 23-time major champion Djokovic at a Slam, though, and he feels it is a result that will give him confidence in the future.

“Before this match, I thought I can’t beat Novak. That’s obvious. But after this epic match, let’s say, I think different about Novak in the way that probably in other tournaments, in other Grand Slams, I will remember this moment,” Alcaraz said.

“I will think that I’m ready to play five sets against him, good rallies, good sets, really long, long match, and stay there physically, mentally, in tennis, in general. Probably it changes my mind a little bit after this match.”

After winning the title, Alcaraz made his way to his player box, where he celebrated with his team, including coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, and his family. It was a special moment for the 20-year-old.

“It’s big moment not just for me, but for my family, for all the people around me,” Alcaraz said. “It’s a really, really special moment. I start playing tennis thanks to my dad. [He is a] really huge fan of tennis. He was watching tennis before I was born. It’s crazy. His whole life, it’s about tennis.

“I think for them, watching their kid making history, lifting the trophy, winning Wimbledon, is something incredible for them. For me to have them there, giving them a big hug, it’s something that I will never forget. I hope to have a photo from that moment because I’m going to keep it forever.”

Alcaraz’s second major title at Wimbledon has lifted him to first in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The Spaniard will be aiming to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, after missing last year’s event due to injury.

Carlos Alcaraz retained World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by defeating Novak Djokovic on Sunday in an epic five-set Wimbledon final.

The championship clash was a winner-takes-all showdown, with the champion leaving London with the trophy and World No. 1. Alcaraz will on Monday begin his 29th week in the top spot.

At only 20 years old, Alcaraz has already held World No. 1 for longer than 12 other former World No. 1s including Mats Wilander (20 weeks), Daniil Medvedev (16), Andy Roddick (13), Boris Becker (12) and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero (8).

Alcaraz leads Djokovic by 880 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Nobody else is within 2,000 points of the pair, setting the stage for a big showdown for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

Last year, Alcaraz became the youngest player to earn the year-end No. 1 honour. Djokovic owns the record for most year-end No. 1 finishes with seven, most recently accomplishing the feat in 2021.