Novak Djokovic’s humble admission of being “inferior” to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final has impressed tennis fans. The Serb’s honest analysis of his loss also prompted fans to encourage Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner to emulate his approach.
Djokovic once again fell short of his goal to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles, suffering his second consecutive loss to Alcaraz in the final of the grasscourt Major. The 21-year-old dominated the highly anticipated encounter, securing a decisive 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) victory to clinch his fourth Major title.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion graciously lavished praise on Alcaraz after his loss, admitting that he was thoroughly outplayed by the Spaniard, who was the “better player” in the contest.
“The way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court. He was a better player. That’s it. He played every single shot better than I did. I don’t think I could’ve done much more,” he said.
“He wasn’t allowing me to have free points on my serve. He played with a lot of variety. I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day yesterday. He really outplayed me… he was better than me in every aspect of the game,” he added.
Tennis fans were amazed at Novak Djokovic’s “magnanimity” and “grace” in defeat, commending him for his sportsmanship towards Alcaraz.
“Novak’s magnanimity in defeat sets him apart,” one fan commented.
“Class act from Djokovic to tell that he was completely outplayed by Alcaraz. True Sportsman spirit by Novak Djokovic,” another fan chimed in.
“A graceful statement from a true player and a true champion. I used to not really like him but now I do!” a fan wrote.
In contrast, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner both came under fire for “making excuses” and being “sore losers” after their respective exits from the grasscourt Major, leading fans to urge them to emulate the Serb’s example of handling defeat with “humility.”
“I love that he doesn’t offer excuses. I hope Iga Swiatek can learn from him. Her comments after the Putinseva loss were disappointing,” one fan posted.
“Very fair Nole, don’t be like the number 1 woman,” another fan chimed in.
“A certain bitter orange should learn humility from Novak instead of making injury excuses every time he loses,” another fan wrote.