Novak Djokovic edging closer to unwanted record after Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon defeat
Novak Djokovic was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's Wimbledon final
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Novak Djokovic is the most-decorated player in men's tennis history, having won 23 Grand Slam titles throughout his glittering career.
However, the Serb is now on the verge of an unwanted record after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's Wimbledon final.
Djokovic already holds the mantle of losing the most Grand Slam finals following that loss.
It was the 12th time he'd fallen at the final hurdle, with no player in the Open Era managing more.
Novak Djokovic has lost 12 Grand Slam finals after Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon defeat
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Djokovic won't be too bothered by that, especially given how he's won more majors than rivals such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Yet he's now edging closer to two WTA stars when it comes to the most Grand Slam finals lost in total.
Martina Navratilova was formidable during her time in the sport, claiming 18 majors to establish herself as one of the best players in the history of the sport.
That doesn't even include the 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles titles she won as well.
However, the 66-year-old's total would have been even greater if she hadn't lost 14 finals.
Leading the way with the most Grand Slam final defeats in tennis history, however, is American icon Chris Evert
Evert, like Navratilova, managed 18 triumphs while playing solo.
Yet she lost 16 finals and Djokovic is now four away, with the Serb showing no signs of slowing down.
At the start of Wimbledon, just about everybody expected the former world No 1 to continue his Grand Slam winning spree.
He'd won the Australian Open and French Open titles earlier in the year.
And Djokovic had also won the last four Wimbledon crowns as well, with that run beginning in 2018.
However, Alcaraz was always going to provide a strong challenge.
And though the Spaniard experienced a nightmare start to the final, he ultimately battled his way to a 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 win.
Meanwhile, Djokovic's old coach Nikola Pilic has opened up on the Serb's defeat to Alcaraz.
He feels the 36-year-old didn't play at his highest level, lamenting mistakes Djokovic made during the showdown at Centre Court.
“That was not the real Novak Djokovic," he told Meridian Sport.
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Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have lost the most Grand Slam finals in tennis
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"It was not Novak’s day and Alcaraz himself admitted it.
"He could have won the second set, but he didn’t make those two backhands well [in the tiebreak] and his opponent took advantage of that.
“In the second set he completely fell, but in the fourth he got up and started playing well again.
"In the fifth, he made mistakes in his service and thus allowed Alcaraz to break. That was a problem in general during the match, the service movement didn’t look right.
“For example, in the [fourth round] match against [Hubert] Hurkacz, he served perfectly, and in the final, he did not make an ace for two whole sets.
"If only Novak had played as he knows how, he wouldn’t have lost.”
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