Carlos Alcaraz responds to Serena Williams after Novak Djokovic Wimbledon final win
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with his gold trophy after winning Wimbledon
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Carlos Alcaraz has responded to a message from Serena Williams after beating Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon on Sunday.
The 20-year-old had gone into the match hoping to claim a second Grand Slam of his career, having won the US Open last year.
And Alcaraz did exactly that, winning 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 to end his rival's dominance of the competition.
After the match, Williams took to Instagram to share an image of Alcaraz with his trophy.
Carlos Alcaraz has shown his appreciation to Wimbledon icon Serena Williams
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And the Spaniard has responded to the 41-year-old, simply saying 'Serena' and accompanying his post with a green heart emoji.
Williams won seven Wimbledon titles herself during her prime years in the sport.
Real, it seems, recognises real.
Alcaraz is a special talent and many are now expecting him to dominate the sport for the foreseeable future, especially with two Grand Slams under his belt already.
He started badly against Djokovic, with the Serb claiming the first set 6-1 and looking in cruise control.
Alcaraz then rallied to win the next two before Djokovic was able to force a decider.
And he held on in the fifth and final set, sparking wild celebrations around Centre Court in the process.
Some also see the victory as a changing of the guard.
Djokovic had gone into the entire tournament having won the last four Wimbledon men's finals, as well as the Australian Open and French Open earlier in the year.
However, he appeared to tire while his younger opponent was able to battle his way to victory.
Boris Becker, however, has insisted Djokovic's time at the top isn't done yet.
And the German also thinks the 36-year-old has plenty left in the tank, with the US Open in August the next Grand Slam on the calendar.
“I don’t think it’s the end of the Djokovic era," he told Eurosport.
"And I hope not, because that was an excellent example of how a tennis match should be.
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Carlos Alcaraz was too strong for Novak Djokovic in Sunday's Wimbledon final
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“We won millions of new fans thanks to that, and I hope they can repeat that in New York or Melbourne.
"I don’t think Djokovic will stop performing.
“The question is about motivation: what keeps Djokovic going?
"Yes, certainly on the 24th [Grand Slam], then he would be the best along with Margaret Court as far as ‘majors’ are concerned.
"He already is in the men’s category, but of course he wants to be in the general.”
Alcaraz is now set to team up with Rebeka Masarova at the Hopman Cup, with Spain due to lock horns with Belgium and Croatia. There are, however, some fears he may withdraw in order to boost his chances of retaining the US Open later in the year.