Things we learned from Wimbledon 2023

An eventful Wimbledon came to a close on Sunday with Carlos Alcaraz ending Novak Djokovic’s 45-match Centre Court winning streak with a stunning five-set victory.

Here is what we learned from this year’s championships.

Alcaraz reignites men’s tour

He had not lost a match on Centre Court in 10 years, was on a 34-match unbeaten run at Wimbledon, and was looking to win a record-equaling eighth title at the All England Club, and fifth in a row … Novak Djokovic was regarded as the undisputed favorite for the title at SW19.

The Serb was barely tested en route to the final, dropping just two sets — one to Hubert Hurkacz and one to Andrey Rublev — and was primed to secure a record 24th Grand Slam crown.

But then came Carlos Alcaraz, a 20-year-old playing just his fourth tour-level tournament on grass and contesting a second major final. Djokovic in comparison was into a 35th Grand Slam final, which is an all-time record in singles for both men and women.

A showdown between the world No. 1 and No. 2, the four-hour 43-minute final was everything a sports fan could ask for. It had momentum swings, unthinkable shots, a broken racquet (and dented net post), code violations, tweener lobs, Brad Pitt and Princess Charlotte, a maiden champion and a tearful legend.

Now a two-time Grand Slam winner, Alcaraz picked up a second victory in three meetings with Djokovic, who is already keen to set up a rematch with the Spaniard at next month’s US Open.

For a long stretch, we had tournaments that featured either Alcaraz or Djokovic but not the two of them together. When Alcaraz won the US Open last summer, Djokovic was back home, unable to participate due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.

When Djokovic won a 10th Australian Open