Of course, he did, because you do not have 23 Grand Slam titles in the bank by ducking a fight in moments of crisis. Young pretenders have repeatedly tried and failed to take Djokovic down at Wimbledon -- Matteo Berrettini in the 2021 final and Nick Kyrgios last year. That he did it with Djokovic still at the peak of his powers and halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, made it feel like a seismic moment in men's tennis. "I've won some epic finals that I was close to losing so it's fair and square," Djokovic, who saved match points when beating Roger Federer in 2019, told reporters. The bull-like Spaniard, playing only his second Grand Slam final compared to Djokovic's record 35, might have folded after being schooled by the master in a 34-minute opening set.

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Persons: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Young, Matteo Berrettini, Nick Kyrgios, Boris Becker, Manuel Santana, Rafa Nadal, Djokovic, I've, Roger Federer, Carlos, Federer, Serena Williams, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Andrew Couldridge, Novak, King Felipe, Carlos Carlos, Margaret Court's, Alcaraz, Djokovic's, Martyn Herman, Toby Davis Organizations: Wimbledon, Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Serbia's Novak Djokovic REUTERS, Thomson Locations: ducking, Wimbledon, tennis, London, Britain