“For me, and most of the other players, too, if you had to pick one of the four Grand Slams, you would pick Wimbledon. It’s got tradition, it’s got atmosphere, and it’s got mystique.” Those words were uttered by 6-time Grand Slam winner Stefan Edenberg of Switzerland. Edenberg could come to that conclusion because he won two titles at the All-England Club in 1988 and 1990. Yes, winning Wimbledon has been the launching pad of many successful careers for players like Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova, Venus, and Serena Williams. However, on the other hand, the tournament has produced some of the best tennis action in history, including Roger Federer vs Pete Sampras in 2001, and Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer in 2008. In 2023, we can add Markéta Vondroušová winning the title as her potential launching pad moment, and potentially add Carloz Alcaraz versus Novak Djokovic to the ledger of historic matches. It was a weekend to celebrate the rise and unlikely comebacks of our 2023 champions. In this article, we will discuss how Marketa Vondrousova and Carlos Alcaraz became champions at the All-England Club.
1. Markéta Vondroušová-2023 Ladies Champion-Czech Republic
Marketa made history on Saturday by becoming the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon for the first time in its prestigious history. However, the journey to the top required literal and figurative comebacks on and off the court. A year ago, Marketa came to the All-England Club as a tourist to do sightseeing and cheer for a friend that competed at Wimbledon. Vondrousova had to be a spectator because she had injured her wrist and had to surgically repair it. After such a serious injury, Marketa doubted whether she could return to the same level. By her admission, she had never had success on grass before this tournament. The expectation was to have fun and win a few games. Vondrousova gained an immediate advantage in the finals by playing under the retractable roof that created the indoor atmosphere she was used to during the cold winters in Prague. Despite the seeming advantage, Marketa fell behind in the first set and 3-1 and 4-3 in the second to Ons Jabeur. However, she showed resiliency to come from behind by winning the last four games of the first set, and last three games of the second. This was Jabeur’s third Grand Slam Final, but she lacked poise and buckled under pressure by making 31 unforced errors while her opponent made only 13. Vondrousova ended the match with a brilliant volley and tumbling onto the ground in disbelief. It capped off the most unlikely championship run in tennis history, and Marketa Vondrousova may be just getting started.
2. Carloz Alcaraz-2023 Gentlemens Champion-Spain
Imagine being a 20-year-old facing the prospect of being down by a set and a single point away from being down two sets to a 23-time Grand Slam finals Champion. That was the scenario facing Carlos Alcaraz in the second set of the Gentlemen’s Final at Wimbledon. The situation was even more precarious given that his opponent, Novak Djokovic, had never lost at Centre Court in almost a decade, was seeing a fifth Wimbledon title, and a record-tying eighth scalp at the All-England Club. Somehow, Alcaraz kept his poise, forced an unlikely tiebreaker, and won it to even the match at 1 set apiece. The decisive juncture of the third set was the fifth game of the third set. Both players contested this game as if life depended on it, which made the period intense and riveting. After 25 minutes, Alcarez prevailed to take the game and the 4-1 momentum to close out the third set. Yet, Novak was not about to cede the title easily and struck back in the fourth set by winning it 6-3 and forcing a decisive fifth set. Again, Djokovic was the likely favorite in this situation having won 10 of 11 five-setters at Wimbledon and 35-9 all-time at the Majors. However, Carlos was never intimidated by the moment and took his game to another level in the fifth set. Alcaraz dominated in serve, displayed tremendous power in his strokes, and had the deft touch to make drop shots at the net. After 4 hours and 43 minutes, the Spaniard prevailed to lift the golden trophy and his second major following his 2022 US Open title. In the process, Carlos became the third-youngest man to win at the All-England club in the Open era, after Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg. Also, he became the first man outside the elite quartet of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray to win Wimbledon since 2002. Many consider the win as a changing of the guard, and Alcaraz will now dominate the men’s circuit. However, Djokovic did beat the Spaniard last month at the French Open when Alcaraz suffered an injury in the contest. I would rather see this epic matchup as the birth of a new rivalry that will cause the sports world to salivate seeing it again. Who knows perhaps a grudge match at the US Open final in early September? The tennis world would love to see that.