Former legend Boris Becker has claimed Carlos Alcaraz beating Novak Djokovic is a changing of the guard moment in the sport. Djokovic was beaten in a five-set match thrilling contest by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final by 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
Alcaraz became the first player to beat Djokovic at SW19 since 2017 and ended his unbeaten streak of 46 matches at Wimbledon. The young Spaniard played with an aggressive approach and he was able to reap rewards for the same.
Djokovic, along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, has dominated the game but Alcaraz has been rising through the ranks and Becker feels it could be a changing of the guard.
Meanwhile, Boris Becker coached Novak Djokovic for three years and won a total of six Grand Slam titles with the Serbian. The German also feels it might not be the end of Djokovic’s era.
“I see it as a changing of the guard,” said Becker. “I see it as a game that will go down in history, and we’ll be talking about it in ten years. This is the day Carlos Alcaraz came of age, and we’ve seen a lot of praise now in the last 48 hours. But who did he do it against? Yes, against the most successful of all time, so not just anyone.”
Becker continued, “Certainly, he won US Open last year against Casper Ruud in the final and was already No.1 on the world ranking, even before the tournament.
“But at the end of the day, you have to show it in a Grand Slam final against the best, and that’s Djokovic. And how did he show it!”
The German hailed the Big 3 – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal for their consistent performances in the last 15 years.
“This is a next, very important point. Where is tennis going? Roger, Rafa and Novak, there will probably never be such triumphs again. Three players who have won 20 or even more Grand Slams,” claimed Becker.
“In my time, Pete Sampras did the impossible at 14, but now you have three players who have won over 20 majors. And, of course, they have also ensured incredible popularity, worldwide.”
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has decided to skip Toronto Masters and he will most likely play in Cincinnati.