Exclusive: Boris Becker hails ‘changing of the guard’ after watching Carlos Alcaraz ‘come of age’ in Wimbledon final

Carlos Alcaraz came of age in an epic Wimbledon final win over Novak Djokovic that marked a “changing of the guard” at the top of tennis, says Boris Becker.

The 20-year-old edged a five-set thriller on Centre Court to deny Djokovic a record-equalling eighth SW19 title and a 24th Grand Slam overall.

Alcaraz has long been touted as the next big thing in the sport and picked up his first major at the US Open last year.

“I see it as a changing of the guard,” said Becker.

“I see it as a game that will go down in history, and we’ll be talking about it in ten years. This is the day Carlos Alcaraz came of age, and we’ve seen a lot of praise now in the last 48 hours.

“But who did he do it against? Yes, against the most successful of all time, so not just anyone.

“Certainly, he won US Open last year against Casper Ruud in the final and was already No. 1 on the world ranking, even before the tournament.

“But at the end of the day, you have to show it in a Grand Slam final against the best, and that’s Djokovic. And how did he show it!

“He started the match badly, actually did what we all expected, cautiously, Djokovic dominated, immediately got control of the match.

“But then hour by hour, they played almost five [hours], you noticed Carlos is getting stronger and Novak is getting weaker.

“And it was interesting to see that the footwork and this self-confidence, I’m the king here, was more and more evident from hour to hour with Carlos and less and less with Novak.”

Alcaraz has become a hugely popular figure in the sport with fans and players alike, possessing off-court charm to go with his on-court talent.

Becker believes that his combination of personality and prowess will help the sport move on from a golden era of champions like Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“This is a next, very important point. Where is tennis going? Roger, Rafa and Novak, there will probably never be such triumphs again,” said Becker.

“Three players who have won 20 or even more Grand Slams.

“In my time, Pete Sampras did the impossible at 14, but now you have three players who have won over 20 majors. And, of course, they have also ensured incredible popularity, worldwide.

“Who can take the sceptre? We’ve mentioned the name several times.

“Carlos Alcaraz has taken it over, and I think the world will thank him that we have seen such a likeable, refreshing, almost innocent-looking young player from Spain, who does it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.”