Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the Wimbledon men’s final Sunday to collect his fourth Grand Slam title at age 21.
It was a rematch of last year’s championship match on the grass of the All England Club in London, which Alcaraz won in five sets.
This one — played in front of a Centre Court crowd that included Kate, the Princess of Wales, in a rare public appearance since announcing she has cancer — was much easier for Alcaraz, at least until he stumbled while holding three match points as he served for the victory at 5-4 in the third set.
Still, Alcaraz regrouped and eventually picked up a second major trophy in a row after last month’s triumph on the clay at the French Open.
The Spaniard won his first Slam title at the 2022 U.S. Open as a teenager, and no man ever has collected more Slam hardware before turning 22 than he has.
He improved to 4-0 in major finals.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, wearing a gray sleeve on his surgically repaired right knee, was denied in his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and record 25th major overall. He tore his meniscus at Roland Garros on June 3 and had an operation in Paris two days later.
Less than six weeks later, Djokovic was hardly at his best on Sunday — and Alcaraz certainly had something to do with that.
“Especially in the first couple of sets, the level of tennis wasn’t really up to par on my side,” said Djokovic, whose two children were in his guest box. “He had it all today. I tried to push him. … It wasn’t meant to be.”
It was only when Alcaraz was right on the brink of victory that things finally became a tad more intriguing, as some spectators offered chants of Djokovic’s two-syllable nickname — “No-le! No-le!” — while others replied with choruses of “Let’s go, Carlos! Let’s go!”
Alcaraz defends Wimbledon title with win over Djokovic
In a rematch of last year’s championship Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) to capture his fourth Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz was up 5-4, 40-love in the third set when the occasion got the better of him. He frittered away his first championship point with a double-fault, beginning a run of five mistakes by him that donated points — and that game — to Djokovic. There was a backhand that went awry. A forehand volley. A forehand. Another forehand. That was the only time all match that Djokovic broke Alcaraz.
Suddenly, it was 5-all. Suddenly, Alcaraz appeared rattled. Suddenly, Djokovic could hope.
But in the ensuing tiebreaker, Alcaraz earned his fourth match point and stayed cool as can be this time. Soon he was climbing through the stands to hug his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and others.
Just under 2 1/2 hours earlier, at the outset, the opening game appeared to portend an engrossing, back-and forth contest — and a long one, perhaps worrying some folks about getting to a pub or a couch in time to see England face Spain in the men’s soccer European Championship final in Germany on Sunday night. Alcaraz, of course, had a rooting interest.
All told, that game consisted of seven deuces and 20 points across a hair shy of 14 minutes, containing brilliant moments by both men. Sprinting, sliding, stretching defense by Djokovic. Return winners by Alcaraz. When he slapped a strong reply to a 202 kph serve and drew a wide forehand from Djokovic, Alcaraz cashed in his fifth break chance.
That, it turned out, was the most competitive portion of the proceedings until the third set.
Not to say there weren’t hints of brilliance the rest of the way. Just the outcome never really seemed in dispute.
Djokovic double-faulted to hand over a two-break, 5-1 lead in the first set. He put a volley into the net to fall behind by a break to begin the second, then double-faulted to end that one.
This was not the body-contorting, get-to-everything Djokovic everyone is accustomed to seeing, mind you. There’s his age, first of all, and the matter of his knee, which raised serious questions about whether it would be possible to even participate at Wimbledon.
By his account, Djokovic felt free of pain and able to move with his usual verve by only his third or fourth match of the fortnight. On this partly cloudy afternoon, with the temperature at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius), Djokovic occasionally hopped awkwardly when he landed after serving or stepped gingerly — as if barefoot on a beach’s hot sand — between points or watched some of Alcaraz’s big groundstrokes fly past without giving chase.
Djokovic missed volleys he usually makes and won just 27 of 53 points when he went forward.
After netting a volley to close one early 11-stroke exchange, Djokovic sighed and walked to his sideline seat to grab a purple-and-green towel for dabbing at sweat. His facial expression was giving: “Come on, Carlitos, pick on someone your own age.”
Alcaraz was outstanding in pretty much every way, from the basic to the sorts of shots no one else would even try, much less pull off. Once, he leaped and wrapped his racket all the way around his back to get the ball over the net, although Djokovic did put an overhead away to get that point. Alcaraz ran wide of the doubles alley for forehand winners. Claimed points via drop shots. Smacked serves at up to 219 kph. Accumulated 14 break points, converting five, while facing just three, despite going up against Djokovic, considered many the greatest returner there’s been.
What can’t Alcaraz do?
Two days before the final, Djokovic paid Alcaraz quite a compliment, saying: “I see a lot of similarities between me and him, in terms of ability to adapt and adjust to the surface. That’s probably his biggest trait. … He’s got skills to play equally well on any surface and to adapt to a given opponent that particular day. So he’s a very all-around player, very complete player.”
Hewett wins men’s wheelchair singles final to complete Grand Slam
Alfie Hewett finally got the Wimbledon title he needed to complete a career Grand Slam, then added another doubles trophy as well.
The British player beat Martin De La Puente 6-2, 6-3 in the men’s wheelchair singles final on No. 1 Court on Sunday. It was his first Wimbledon singles title after two straight runner-up finishes and ninth major overall. He also has 21 major titles in wheelchair doubles after adding a sixth Wimbledon victory together with Gordon Reid later against Japanese pair Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda.
But it was the singles title at his home Grand Slam tournament that was the one thing missing from his resume.
“You don’t need reminding me. I’m speechless to be honest,” the 26-year-old Hewett told an on-court interviewer after the win over De La Puente. “To leave on a singles final loss has been not far off heartbreaking the last couple of years. … When you’ve been watching this ever since [you were] a young kid and it’s been a dream for so, so long, narrowly missing out is a real tough one. I’ll be honest, last night I was a bowl of nerves because I didn’t want to walk away with another loss.”
De La Puente, a 25-year-old Spaniard, was playing in his first Grand Slam final and was up against both a player who has beaten him multiple times since they were teenagers as well as a crowd of several thousand people who were cheering loudly for his opponent.
“We’ve [been] battling so much since juniors, many matches. He always won,” De La Puente said.
Hewett completed a perfect day by teaming up with Reid to beat Miki and Oda — the player who beat him in last year’s singles final — 6-4, 7-6 (2).
In the women’s wheelchair doubles final, top-seeded Yui Kamiji and Kgothatso Montjane beat Dutch pair Diede de Groot and Jiske Griffioen 6-4, 6-4. It was an eighth Wimbledon doubles title for Kamiji and a first for Montjane.
De Groot on Saturday won her 15th consecutive singles title.
In the quad wheelchair singles final, Niels Vink beat fellow Dutchman Sam Schroder 7-6 (4), 6-4
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
