WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz will head to New York in August to defend his U.S. Open title as a two-time Grand Slam champion.
That’s because he managed to shake off a poor start and beat Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday.
That gave Alcaraz his first trophy at the All England Club and prevented Djokovic from winning his fifth in a row and eighth overall there.
It also kept Djokovic from increasing his men’s-record total of 23 major titles.
Alcaraz is a 20-year-old from Spain who is the third-youngest men’s champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, which began in 1968. Only Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg were younger than he is.
WHEN DOES THE U.S. OPEN START?
The next Grand Slam tournament is the U.S. Open, which begins on the hard courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 28. The women’s final — Iga Swiatek won the tournament in 2022 — is Sept. 9; the men’s final is Sept. 10.
BETTING GUIDE
As of Sunday evening, Djokovic was listed as a plus-115 money-line pick to win the U.S. Open, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, slightly ahead — perhaps surprisingly — of Alcaraz, at plus-140. Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Djokovic to win the 2021 title in New York, was next at plus-380. American Frances Tiafoe, a semifinalist a year ago, was listed as a joint-12th pick at plus-3,600. For the women, Swiatek was the top pick at plus-240, followed by Aryna Sabalenka at plus-500. New Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was listed joint-eighth at plus-2,200.
GET CAUGHT UP AT THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB
What you need to know about Wimbledon, the year’s third Grand Slam tennis tournament:
— Only 5% of the women who played singles at Wimbledon are coached by women
— The women’s tennis tour is trying to help more female coaches make it to the pros
— Tennis appears headed for Saudi Arabia. Is it about sportswashing, women’s rights or both?
— The All England Club is trying to balance tradition and evolution
— Novak Djokovic is pursuing more history, and his self-belief is a big part of his success
— Women’s tennis is working toward equal pay at more tournaments
— Facts and figures about Wimbledon, including a look back at 2022
TAKE A TENNIS QUIZ
Try your hand at the AP’s Wimbledon quiz.
THE NUMBER TO KNOW
21 — Number of years since someone other than Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray won the men’s title at Wimbledon. Lleyton Hewitt won the tournament in 2002. Until Carlos Alcaraz won Sunday, 19 trophies in a row at the All England Club — the 2020 edition was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic — went to Federer (eight), Djokovic (seven), Nadal (two) or Murray (two).
THE QUOTE TO KNOW
“Right now is the happiest moment of my life, that’s for sure. Probably in five years, (that) will change. Right now, I’m 20. I didn’t live too many situations like this. So I’m going to enjoy this moment.” — Carlos Alcaraz.
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