Alcaraz 3^rd Youngest Man To Win Wimbledon  By Andrew Rosario 

 It will go down as one of the greatest Grand Slam Final Championships in tournament history. It will go down as the best Wimbledon Final as well. #1 ranked and 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz from Spain took on #2 ranked and 36-year-old Novak Djokovic from Serbia last Sunday in a match that lasted close to 5-hours. In the end, the youngster from outlasted the seasoned veteran in 5 sets 1-6, 7-6 (8-6 in the tie breaker) 6-1, 3-6 and 6-4. Djokovic had won the first 2 grand slams to start year boosting his Grand Slam total to 23. Alcaraz is coming off winning the US Open last year playing in his second major finals and first this year. The Joker had not lost at Center Court in 10 years and was looking for his 5^th consecutive championship as well as his record tying 8^th overall at the All-England Club. Neither would be accomplished as Alcaraz overcame a rough first set before righting himself in the second set. Facing going down 2-sets to nothing, Alcaraz used a 32-points, to tie the match at one which lasted 25-minutes. Said the Spaniard afterward about winning the tie breaker, “if l would have lost that set, probably l couldn’t lift the trophy. I probably could have lost in three sets. Alcaraz cruised in the 3^rd set before Djokovic settled down to tie the match at four.  The 5^th and final set was tied at 4 before Alcaraz would win the last 2 games as Djokovic last shot went into the net with Alcaraz falling to the grass recognizing that we won the championship. The Joker felt his back hand was his downfall. “The backhands kind of let me down,” he would say afterwards. Carlos Alcaraz became the third youngest man to win the grass court major in the open era which started in 1968. He joined Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg in that elite group. On the victory he said, “we made great rallies, great points. It was a long, long match. Long sets. It was the mental part that allowed me to stay in there.” Next stop for both players will be the US Open in New York beginning in late August where Djokovic will look to get revenge against the defending champion. They will be hard pressed to match what they did last Sunday.