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Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon men’s title

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Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy (pic Agencies)

Carlos Alcaraz won the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time by ending Novak Djokovic’s recent dominance with a stunning victory.

Spain’s Alcaraz, 20, fought back from a nervy start to win 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 against the defending champion. Djokovic was going for a fifth straight win, an eighth men’s triumph and a 24th major – all record-equalling feats. But the 36-year-old Serb was outlasted by top seed Alcaraz, who underlined his class by winning a second major title.

“It is a dream come true for me,” Alcaraz, who was playing in only his fourth grass-court tournament, said. “Even if I lost, I would have been proud of myself. To be able to play in these stages of these occasions – as a boy of 20 years old – is really fast. “I’m really proud of myself.”

Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, celebrated by falling flat on his face after taking his first match point and kicking a ball into the crowd.

The majority of a packed Centre Court, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales, actor Brad Pitt and two-time winner Andy Murray, rose to their feet to acclaim the All England Club’s newest champion.

As tradition now dictates, Alcaraz ran up the stairs from the court to his box and embraced coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, along with his family and friends.

Alcaraz is the third youngest man to win the Wimbledon title in the Open era after 17-year-old Boris Becker in 1985 and 20-year-old Bjorn Borg in 1976.

“You never like to lose matches like this but I guess when all the emotions are settled I have to still be very grateful,” said 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who broke down in tears during his on-court speech. “I won many tough matches here. Maybe I have won a couple of finals I should have lost so maybe this is even-steven. “It is a tough one to swallow when you are so close. I lost to a better player, I have to congratulate him, and move on – stronger hopefully.”

Fantastic final proves to be a feast

Before an eagerly anticipated men’s final between the top two seeds, Djokovic further ramped up the excitement by predicting a “feast” between a pair with equally “hungry” appetites for success.

A compelling contest – full of quality, drama and momentum swings – lived up to the hype.

The pair have been two of the leading players on the ATP Tour this year and jostled for position as the world number one. Djokovic won the Australian Open and French Open this year to move ahead of Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 major titles, knowing another victory would equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 victories. At the opposite end of the career scale, Alcaraz was aiming to prove not all of the younger generation can be overawed by Djokovic’s greatness.

The Spaniard had already been dealt a chastening experience when facing Djokovic, having suffered body cramps during their French Open semi-final last month because he was so overcome by nerves.

One of the plotlines going into the Wimbledon final centred on Alcaraz’s state of mind.

Alcaraz was confident that fear was out of his system going into Sunday’s showpiece – but that did not look to be the case in a one-sided first set, which Djokovic won after just 34 minutes.

Djokovic suffocated his opponent with his deep and consistent returning, forcing Alcaraz into hurrying his shots and making too many mistakes. Alcaraz slowly grew into the contest, finding more rhythm with his groundstrokes and introducing an increasing number of the drop shots for which he is becoming known.

After turning the deficit into a lead, helped by edging a mammoth 27-minute game early in the third set, Alcaraz produced two loose errors at a crucial time in the fourth and Djokovic went on to level. However, Alcaraz’s composure returned in the decider. He broke for a 2-1 lead which led to Djokovic smashing his racquet on the net post and, continuing to play with power and variety, served out a stunning victory after four hours and 42 minutes.

(BBC Sports)



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‘Deshabandu is on SLC payroll’; Hesha tables documents 

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Ratnapura District SJB MP Hesha Withanage yesterday tabled several documents in Parliament to substantiate his allegations against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). He presented an Executive Committee meeting minute, claiming that according to it, payments to IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon had been approved.

The MP said that the SLC Executive Committee had appointed Tennakoon, the then Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Western Province, as an Advisor to the Security Consultant of Sri Lanka Cricket.

The contract, effective from August 16, 2021, included a monthly allowance of Rs. 150,000, 200 litres of fuel per month, a Rs. 5,000 mobile phone allowance, a laptop, a mobile phone, and medical insurance, MP Withanage told Parliament.

The MP tabled the document in the House in response to SLC’s recent denial of his claims. The SLC had previously dismissed allegations that Tennakoon had been paid or provided with perks, calling them baseless and false.

The SLC denial came after Withanage, commencing the Committee Stage budget debate under the Head of Expenditure of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, claimed on Tuesday (18) that IGP Tennakoon had been on the payroll of SLC.

MP Withanage criticised the government, stating it had no intention of preventing the accused group from contesting the upcoming SLC election on 31 March. He also accused the current Sports Minister of supporting a corrupt faction within SLC and announced plans to take legal action over the matter.

“This denial by SLC is irrelevant,” Withanage said. “We have a copy of the report approved by the Executive Committee.”

By Saman Indrajith

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LG polls on 06 May

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R.M.A.L. Ratnayake

Election Commission (EC) Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake yesterday announced that the Local Government (LG) elections would be held on 6 May 2025.The date was revealed during a special media briefing following the conclusion of the submission of nominations for LG polls.

Nominations for 336 LG institutions, which began on 17 March, were officially closed at 12:00 noon yesterday. Additionally, the deadline for placing deposits ended at midnight on 19 March.The EC said 17,296,330 persopns were eligible to vote in this year’s LG elections.

by Ranil Dharmasena

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Navy dives into depths off Colombo, where ocean whispers of history’s numerous wrecks 

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Two members of the diving team (pic courtesy SLN)

The Sri Lanka Navy conducted a successful shipwreck expedition from 10 to 17 March focusing on historically significant shipwrecks located in the sea area off the coast of Colombo.

The expedition was carried out to document the current state of numerous shipwrecks lying beneath the waves, off Colombo. The survey included the Coal Wreck, Chief Dragon Car Carrier, MV Astoria, MT Nilgiri, Thermopylae Sierra, MV Pecheur Breton, Taprobane East Wreck, SS Worcestershire, Toilet Barge, SS Perseus and some other unidentified wrecks, according to the Navy.

Navy divers explored a series of shipwrecks, including the historically significant SS Worcestershire and SS Perseus, both sunk during World War I. Beyond their historical value, the wrecks of the Chief Dragon Car Carrier and Thermopylae Sierra are now functioning as thriving artificial reefs, providing habitats for a variety of marine species.

A total of 14 diving officers and 15 diving sailors participated in this intensive shipwreck expedition. They used both atmospheric air and nitrox air mix as breathing agents, depending on depth and dive duration. This enhanced safety and efficiency, particularly for deeper and more complex dives.

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