Carlos Alcaraz produced a stunning show in the Wimbledon final on Sunday as he defeated 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller.
Djokovic, who many believed was the favourite heading into the contest, started the match on a commanding note and won the opening set comfortably.
Alcaraz didn’t allow the Serb to run away with the second set, which the former won after pushing it into the tie-breakers. He then outplayed Djokovic completely in the third set but the seven-time champion bounced back in the fourth to push the match into the decider.
Alcaraz then closed the match in the fifth set thanks to an early break. He won [1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4] his maiden Wimbledon title. As the world, at least the sports enthusiasts, are celebrating the 20-year-old’s magnificent triumph, an old video of him playing on a clay court event has gone viral on social media because of the commentator’s mention of Virat Kohli
It is from a match between Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the video, Alcaraz can be seen serving a ball and then returning a ball coming from opposite court with a strong forehand.
Tsitsipas, who enjoys a reputation for being of the strong players in the current era, then drops it close to the net but is outdone by Alcaraz’s brilliance, who takes his opponent by surprise by doing the same.
Soon after the point, the commentator can be heard comparing Alcaraz with Virat Kohli and Michael Jordan. “It’s like watching Virat Kohli in cricket or Michael Jordan,” the commentator can be heard saying in the video.
“Really, it’s that special,” replied his fellow commentator before he himself said: “So good! All you can do is smile.”
Virat Kohli is considered a modern-day great with 75 international centuries to his name, only behind Sachin Tendulkar (100). With 25461 runs so far, he is also sixth in the list of all-time highest run-scorers in international cricket.
Meanwhile, the victory over Djokovic helped Alcaraz retain the pole position in the ATP rankings. Alcaraz, who won the US Open last year, also his first Grand Slam, became the first teenager to lead the ATP in September last year.
Alcaraz and Djokovic have been trading the highest spot this season, with the 20-year-old entering his 29th week at the top.