A new star emerges in world tennis: Carlos Alcaraz. With Prince William watching on Wimbledon's Centre Court on Sunday July 16, the new master of tennis became king in five sets. After a slow start, the world number one, the Spanish player, came back to beat the most successful player in Grand Slam history (twenty-three trophies), Novak Djokovic, who became his second in the ATP rankings. It's a turnaround that will change many things for betting fans who have access to original accounts at all the major bookmakers.

The ramping up

This match was highly anticipated by tennis fans. The 20-year-old Spaniard's rise had already made him a direct rival to the defending champion. But he had a tough first set, as he did in June, when he lost to the Serb in the French Open semi-finals. The Spaniard then showed remarkable resilience. Better prepared this time, the native of El Palmar gradually overcame his opponent, and his own nerves. He stayed true to himself on the court, generous in his efforts, able to win points with finesse as well as with power.

After dominating on clay earlier in the season, Alcaraz stunned everyone in the UK on grass in a tournament where he had never reached beyond the Round of 16. Having lost only two sets before the final, the Spaniard easily defeated world number six Holger Rune (7-6 [7-3], 6-4, 6-4) in the quarter-finals, before delivering the same treatment to number three Daniil Medvedev (6-3, 6-3, 6-3) in the semi-finals.

The final

Carlos Alcaraz was full of confidence when he entered the Centre Court on Sunday, but he first had to face everything he had admired in his opponent before his reliability, his completeness, his finesse, his physical and mental strength. He was overwhelmed in the first set (1-6) in just thirty-four minutes of play. The Spaniard then showed his spirit. It was enough to win the next two sets. First in a tense tie-break (7-6 [8-6]), a situation favored by the Serb, who had won his last thirteen decisive games.

Then in the third set, the 20-year-old right-hander gave the Serb the same treatment he had received in the first (6-1). The only difference was that the two men fought for almost half an hour in the fifth game, in a series of advantages and deuces.

In the fourth set, "Nole" recovered and proved sharper than the Spaniard (3-6). The two men then started an electric fifth set in which the Spanish player quickly broke the Serb. The world number one then never gave up. A single match point was enough to end the match. Ecstatic, the new champion collapsed on the Centre Court as soon as he had won.

Once he had the trophy in his hands, he admitted that he was surprised by the victory. He said he didn't expect to play at this level, as he was not used to playing on grass. He and his team had to work hard to prepare for the grass-court season in a very short time. For him, it was clearly a dream come true. The Spaniard, who became a member of the All England Club thanks to his victory today, made a request to his king, Felipe VI, who was present in the Centre Court seats: "The two times I won [in the Grand Slam], you were there. I hope you will be there more often."

Djokovic shed a few tears

"Carlitos" may have been number one in the world before Wimbledon 2023, but Novak Djokovic was still the undisputed king of the Grand Slams. Since his quarter-final loss to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022, "Nole" had been unbeaten in the Majors. Wimbledon 2022 (7 wins), the Australian Open 2023 (7), Roland-Garros 2023 (7) and Wimbledon 2023 (6) had taken his tally to 27 consecutive Major wins.

Overcome with emotion at the end of the match, the "Djoker" shed a few tears. He then praised his young opponent's performance: "What quality at the end of the match..." His words were consistent with what he had said on the eve of the final: "He's incredibly good at adapting to surfaces and opponents. It's a strong trait, a great virtue."

Cheered like never before, the runner-up, in the odd position of glorious loser, missed the chance to win a twenty-fourth Grand Slam title, a record still held only by Margaret Court. He will have another opportunity to join the Australian at the end of August, at the US Open, where the defending champion in New York is none other than... Carlos Alcaraz. The future seems to promise a historic rematch, which will surely attract bettors who want to open an original betting account via broker.