END OF AN ERA

Dear Readers,

Those of you who are tennis fans must have travelled the roller coaster ride yesterday while watching the finals of Wimbledon 2023. It was the most anticipated finals after 2019 when Djokovic played Roger Federer. But yesterday was deja vu time. Read along.

END OF AN ERA

Anyone who has been to Wimbledon would swear by the aura of the haloed tennis venue. As part of the script, the tour guide informs the Wimbledon tour of the history and the greats who have played there. A ticket to watch a simple match is out of the budget of the ordinary. To get to watch a Wimbledon final is a privilege reserved for either the rich or the members. But to watch a final like the one that took place yesterday on Sunday, the 16th of July, 2023, is a privilege reserved for the lucky ones. In the gallery watching the match were the British Royalty, the king of Spain, ex-Wimbledon champions, and Hollywood heartthrobs like Brad Pit and Daniel Craig, Rachael Weisz, Idris Elba, Hugh Jackman, Ariana Grande and many more. But would they have anticipated a five-set thriller going down to the wire? Doubtful. When it is Novak Djokovic, people tend to believe that the match will end fast and the result preordained. In a pre-match poll, the commentator narrated that no expert gave any chance of winning to Carlos Alcaraz, despite being the number one seed and the world number one. Such is the aura of Novak Djokovic. But invincibility, they say, is always temporary. For ten long years, Novak ruled the Centre court like a Roman emperor. Yesterday time had come for him to relinquish his throne.

It must be the most awaited finals since Roger Federer last played his finals in 2019. The world loved Roger for reasons Novak could never understand. Carlos was four years old when Djokovic won his first major in 2007, winning the Australian Open. Yesterday Djokovic was 36, defending his title against 20-year-old Carlos. Both players had come through the traditional tough matches in the preliminary rounds. They set this huge clash for the finals: Old Vs the New. If the first set was of any consideration, the match was going the way the bookies had predicted, and it was curtains for the young Carlos. Break of serve in the match’s second game and his first service game, the fears of ‘Team Carlos’ were written large on their faces. Team ‘Novak were nonchalant and did not seem to applaud the first set 6-1 win. For they knew a match is not won till three sets are won.

Those who have watched Novak play over the years sensed a touch of tiredness in his serve and ground shots. While Carlos was hitting the lines, Novak was more conservative and stayed within the court. It’s like your favourite weapon deserting you in the war when you need it most: plenty of examples in the Mahabharat (Indian Epic), Novak’s first serve deserted him, and he relied on his second. It was obvious from the second set onwards that Carlos had overcome his nerves and was ready to take the battle to Djokovic’s court. The power of his forehand shots, drops, and lobs were all on display. It was deja vu time. In a similar encounter in 2019, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in a five-setter which lasted for fours and 57 minutes, the longest Wimbledon finals in history. Federer fans were devastated. But it was obvious that an ageing Federer was not a match for the hard-hitting, relentless machine called Djokovic. Federer had tears in his eyes during the prize distribution ceremony. The same feeling crept in seeing Djokovic cope with a young, hard-hitting Spaniard. Carlos was also relentless in his shot-making, and despite his experience, Djokovic came out second after the first set. His winning the fourth set was a miracle and gave a glimmer of hope to his fans that maybe he will create an upset against Carlos in the fifth and last set. But that was not to be, and in the fourth game of the fifth set, when Carlos broke Djokovic, the match was all but over. An otherwise calm and smiling Djokovic smashed his racquet into the net pole venting his frustration, knowing he would find it hard to recover after that setback.

With this defeat of Djokovic, an era has come to an end. An era which was the most glorious in tennis in history and in tennis greats. The generation of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the youngest, Novak Djokovic. The first two have succumbed to the vagaries of age and hard grind that takes a toll on the bodies. Between the three of them, they have 65 grand slam championship wins. Considering that there are only four grand slam championships each year, their span extends to 15 years. It is hard to predict what the next 15 years of tennis will be like. Still, it is most unlikely that it would ever produce a master craftsman like Roger Federer with his silken grace, the sheer determination and unfaltering tennis of Rafael Nadal and the maverick quality of Djokovic. Djokovic could go on to win another grand slam as he is down but not out. But the invincibility tag has deserted him. Carlos has emerged as the new star with the promise of the old. But for tennis players to reach great heights, they require worthy opponents. Roger would not be half as great as he is today if he didn’t have a Nadal to persistently chase him or a Novak to challenge his skills to the limits. Nadal would not be the greatest tennis player without Roger and Novak. Djokovic has outlasted them both and, in the bargain, collected 23 grand slam titles. Records are meant to be broken, but this one would be hard to beat. Unless the rivalry becomes as intense as the one named above, 23 is a hard number to chase. Carlos is the new beginning, and the tennis world hopes for its popularity to remain high that another Novak, Rafael or Roger comes along.

Yesterday’s finals was a befitting finale to the end of an era in tennis. Those who lived in their times would consider themselves lucky.