Novak Djokovic says he is “not at that level” after falling to a chastening defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles Wimbledon final.

In the SW19 main event, Almaraz defeated Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) to earn his second consecutive victory against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who appeared nearly helpless.

This outcome also signifies a shift in power in men’s tennis.

Alcaraz, 21, and Jannik Sinner, 22, together have won all three of the Grand Slam events this year.

“I feel like I’m not at that level; both of them are the best this year by far,” said the 24-time Grand Slam victor Djokovic.

“In order to really have a chance to, I guess, beat these guys in the Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today.”

It is Djokovic’s worst season start since 2006, and he has yet to win a championship this year.

In the Sunday final, Alcaraz outplayed the 37-year-old, producing booming forehand winners, heavy serves, and skillful drop drops.

“I felt like I was inferior on the court today, just overall,” Djokovic stated at his press conference.

“That concludes it. He played the game better. He performed better than I did on every single stroke.”

In the fourth set of last year’s championship match, Djokovic broke down and smashed his racquet on the net post to vent his displeasure.

But when the seven-time Wimbledon champion found himself two sets to love down on Sunday, there was hardly a hint of emotion on his part.

The man who finished second to Djokovic in 2022, Nick Kyrgios, called him “so flat”.

“I would have liked to have seen – whether it was a racquet smash or a roar or something – after Novak went down those two sets, I needed to see an outburst to kind of reset his energy,” Kyrgios told the BBC.

“He was so flat for so long and then there was a game at 3-2 in the third set where he really came alive, but it was a bit too late.”

media caption

The way Novak Djokovic responded to losing in the Wimbledon final

A medial meniscus tear in his right knee required surgery for the Serb less than a month prior to his first-round encounter.

“If someone told me I would play Wimbledon finals three, four weeks ago, I would take it for sure,” Djokovic stated.

Alcaraz called Djokovic “superman” and added that what he had accomplished over the past two weeks was “amazing” and “unbelievable”.

“I did all I can to prepare myself for this match and this tournament in general,” Djokovic stated.

“I realized now that I was, as I previously stated, only lagging behind him in every way. I have to accept that as the current reality.”

“I have no idea that this is my final Wimbledon.”

Even while Djokovic feels that his recent performances aren’t up to par with those of Sinner or Alcaraz, he doesn’t intend to retire anytime soon.

He still intends to represent Serbia at the summer Olympics in Paris in the hopes of completing his impressive trophy collection with a gold medal.

“Hopefully I can find the right tennis because I’m going to need all I have and more to go to the final of the Olympic Games,” Djokovic stated.

“I mean, I would love to come back here,” he continued. The fact that this is my final Wimbledon is the only notion on my mind at the moment.

“I don’t think in terms of limitations. As long as I think I can play at this high level, I still want to keep playing.”