In front of the world’s celebrities and sporting fans, Carlos Alcaraz eventually overcame Novak Djokovic in yet another Wimbledon classic yesterday as the 20-year-old claimed his second Grand Slam title.

The match finished 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 after five sets as the Spaniard fought back excellently.

At the other end of the court, an emotional Djokovic broke down after his defeat upon failing to make further history. Had the Serbian won, he would have equalled Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and also Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. It would have also been the 36-year-old’s fifth straight Wimbledon title where he had been unbeaten since 2017.

The last time this pair faced each other was in the semi-final of the French Open, and during this match, Alcaraz had been completely overawed by the occasion as he suffered body cramps due to his nervousness. As a result, much was made of his mindset heading into the final given how he and so many others have faltered at the sheer stature of Djokovic in recent years.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic - The 2023 Wimbledon final

Just like at the French, nerves did seem to be playing a part early on as Djokovic absolutely crushed Alcaraz in the first set in just 34 minutes as the Serb played to his absolute peak.

In the second set, however, a renewed Alcaraz fought back well and matched Djokovic the whole way before eventually claiming the tie-break 8-6. He then followed it up with an emphatic 6-1 win of his own in the third after winning a ridiculous 27-minute game early on in the set.

In the fourth set, Alcaraz showed signs of those nerves once more as two big errors allowed Djokovic back into the match as he won the set 6-3.

Then came a potentially pivotal moment in the fifth set.

Was this the moment Djokovic lost the Wimbledon final?

Having taken the first game, Djokovic had a break point at 40-30 in the second to take a two-game lead. Under pressure, Alcaraz hit a lofted shot back towards the Serb for a smash/volley, giving him a massive opportunity to make it 2-0, but it was a chance the great couldn’t take, as he smashed the ball into the net.

The camera then cut to Djokovic’s face, and you can see in that moment he knew how big a chance he had just wasted.

Renewed by the mistake, Alcaraz closed out the game before breaking Djokovic’s serve in the third, causing the Serb to smash his racket against the net post in frustration.

This time, Alcaraz held his nerve and battled through the final set to win 6-4 after a gruelling match of four hours and 42 minutes.

After losing the game in the end, it does make you think... how different it would've been if Djokovic made that smash early on in the fifth to go 2-0 up in the decider?

Surely someone as elite and successful as the Serb wouldn't have let it slip?!

Despite this setback, given he remains in ridiculous physical shape, you’d imagine Djokovic still stands a good chance of equalling both Federer and Court’s records, but for now he’ll no doubt be thinking of what could have been and especially that break point chance in the fifth.