By Emilio Sanchez Vicario, CEO of the Emilio Sanchez Academy & Former Tennis Pro.
And for many more years, we will remember the wonderful final that went into the history of this past Wimbledon 2023 on the central track of the “All England Club” where an acclaimed final was played by the public between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz who was the winner. Emilio Sanchez Vicar, CEO and Ex Tennis Pro comments;
Pure sport, physical, mental, generational fighting, 16 years apart. On the one hand, Carlos could rank the most technically complete player in history at his age. He has revolutionized tennis, using his punches in any of the zones, both on his side and the opponent, with his drop shots, a mixture of high and low balls, strong and soft, topspin and slices. He plays deep and strong like all modern tennis players, but he also plays inside half of the court as did in ancient tennis and there is the great revolution. Oh revolution.
In front of him, he has had the champion par excellence, in his maximum expression by joining the pillars technical, tactical, physical, and mental. Djoko has found his best version after getting the best form of the spartan way. Taking care of his physique in an innovative way, living, eating, sleeping to take care of his body, developing that survival instinct of the most truthful predators, using their best weapons when emotions betray you. He is able to enter a state where he never makes mistakes and abstracts himself from the emotions that during the game can often make him vulnerable. But when it really counts, it does not affect him, it is as if there were two Djokos, the one who is negatively excited when he does not touch, and the one who does not affect him and appears in the moments that matter. Since Roland Garros he had won 16 tiebreaks, more than 100 points and, we could count his mistakes on one hand. Carlos broke that record.
The Spanish player could read better, be more patient, more aggressive, confident, be more happy, and, above all, be more predatory. In the points that break the matches, he was happy and found the formula to make his best game and, get Djoko to show his negative emotions in the key moments, which are the ones that count. In the 5-4 down in the tiebreak, Djoko missed two setbacks in a row, his best shot, and there the game changed. Carlos managed to win the battle of emotions to end up dominating in the third. Low a little in the fourth, but after Djoko’s failure at the breaking point of the third game, in the fifth Carlos took the battle being the same.
These epic matches are defined in those few points and Carlitos knew how to endure without being weighed by emotions, as happened in Paris. In there, though everyone thought he was winning, he found a wall. In London. Carlos won the emotional battle to win the biggest game of his career. He was more resilient, a fighter, positive in adversity, confident, calm, and inspired by victory.
Carlos did not make one of the matches that characterize him with total domination, but he did grow as he progressed. He won in the cathedral the champion of the last 5 years, the tennis player who has played more finals in history. But the most important thing is to win in the final of Wimbledon against one of the top 3, Djoko, Rafa, and Fed, and it is not the same to beat them. Therefore this victory counts triple, it strengthens him in the world top and leads him to the glory of getting closer to becoming like them.
By Emilio Sanchez Vicario, CEO of the Emilio Sanchez Academy & Former Tennis Pro.
