The 3rd grand slam is done and dusted and what a way for Wimbledon to end…a five set men’s final. During the last 2 weeks, we have seen some epic matches, a few that come to mind are the Tsitsipas & Thiem first round match, the Eubanks & Medvedev quarter-final and the ladies quarter-final round where Svitolina & Swiatek put on a show as well as Vondrousova & Pegula but wow were we treated to an absolute epic on Sunday the 16th of July 2023 where the number 1 in the world, Alcaraz took on the number 2 in the world who was yet to lose in a grand slam this year and was yet to lose on centre court for over 10 years, Djokovic. Many people knew that if anyone was to beat Djokovic this year in a grand slam, it seemed like Alcaraz would be the only man who could do it.

I was going to do my run down as I usually do but I am not sure if it will be possible to put into words what happened on Sunday so I will keep it short and I will attach a link to some extended highlights if you missed it and would like to watch some of the amazing tennis that was on show but the top 2 in the world. The first set was the only set which was 1 sided as Alcaraz took some time to settle while Djokovic played a clean set of tennis which meant Djokovic took the opener 6-1. The 2nd set was the important set of the match as it was going to take a huge effort for Alcaraz to come back from 2 sets down in a Wimbledon final. The set went all the way to a tiebreak with both players having some scares on serve during the set but no one was able to break. The tiebreak started off perfectly for Djokovic who led 3-0 in the tiebreak before Alcaraz won 3 points in a row to make sure it was level at the change over. Djokovic was the player who won the tense 5-5 point which meant he had a set point to take a 2 set to love lead in this final. Djokovic managed to get a deep return into player but in very uncharacteristic Djokovic fashion he dumped a backhand into the net and it was 6-6. Then at 6-6 again it was Djokovic who coughed up an unforced error and the 20 year old, world number 1 was at set point. A backhand return winner and we were level at 1 set all. The 2nd set was an amazing set but the next 3 sets were played at an even higher level. Alcaraz broke in the first game of the 3rd set and managed to back up the break to lead 2-0. He then faced a break point at 2-1 up but fended it off to lead 3-1. Then the game that everyone will remember but also the game that everyone will not be able to recall all the points was played. A game which lasted almost as long as the first set was played on Djokovic’s serve and it seemed like it would never end. In the end it lasted 26 minutes and it was Alcaraz who managed to break Djokovic after it ended. Djokovic then mentally started to focus on the 4th set and lost the next 2 games quickly to give Alcaraz a 2 set to love lead. The start of the 4th set was important for Djokovic as he was under all sorts of pressure in his opening 2 service games but managed to survive them and this allowed him to put pressure on Alcaraz. Djokovic broke twice in the set to take the set 6-3. The number 2 seed, also broke to win the set so was serving first in the decider. Both players fended off break points at the beginning of the set before holding to make the score 1-1. Alcaraz struck first as he broke in the 3rd game. The frustration got to Djokovic as he broke a racquet on the net post. No one faced a break point for the rest of the match incredibly. The 20 year old, Spaniard played a ridiculously good game to serve the match out and be crowned the Wimbledon champion of 2023.
Highlights – https://youtu.be/dvBr9Wr8BCY
Press Conference:
Alcaraz: https://youtu.be/EcDTVn1aBLw
Djokovic: https://youtu.be/2qA4Y350fHI

Onto the fantasy leaderboard and there have been some changes in the prize positions.

In 1st place we have ‘Fantasy Alive‘ who scored 274 points during the championships and won by a margin of 9 points. They were 1 of just 2 teams who picked the ladies winner, Vondrousova, and that result allowed them to catch and overtake ‘Sinner’s Injuries’ on day 13. They will be taking home the R1100.

In 2nd place we have ‘Sinner’s Injuries‘ who I am sure will not mind coming 2nd but when they look back and see they once had a lead of 21 points, this 2nd place may hurt a little. They finished with the best team of males as well so a well deserved 2nd place indeed. They will be taking home R500 for their hard work.

The battle behind the top 2 was intriguing throughout the championships with many names once occupying the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots but the team which hung around in the top 5 for most of the championships and moved up a place on the last day to take 3rd place was ‘Calf Cramps‘. Congratulations to them as they will be taking home R300.

Then after 14 days of tennis, we have a tie for 4th place between ‘Hawks Hackers‘ and ‘Volley Vibes‘. These 2 have been joined by the hip throughout the championships and in the end managed to move up from a joint 5th to a joint 4th. This means they will each take home R115 which is the 4th place prize (R150) and the 5th place prize (R80) divided by 2.

Just a reminder that the wooden spoon winner was ‘Kiss My Ace’.

Special mentions must go out to the teams who just missed out on some prizes ‘I miss my PIMS’ came in a joint 6th and missed out on a prize by just 2 points. ‘Sweet Spot’ was the other team in 6th and they were the 2nd team who picked both the ladies and men’s champions. Unfortunately for them they did not have the players elsewhere to move them higher than 6th. ‘Fine Whines’ is the last special mention because when I left you all after the ladies final, they say in 3rd place. Unfortunately even though they picked the winner Alcaraz, the teams behind had both Djokovic and Alcaraz which meant ‘Fine Whines’ moved from 3rd to 8th place and missed out on a prize.

The full leaderboard is below:
Blue: Means the team picked both the men’s and ladies winners (Alcaraz & Vondrousova)
Yellow: Means the team picked either the men’s or ladies winner however this grand slam, all teams in yellow had Alcaraz.
Red: The team did not have any of the eventual winners.

Mens Final Result:

Alcaraz(1) beat Djokovic(2) – 1-6; 7-6(6); 6-1; 3-6; 6-4

The winning team was ‘Fantasy Alive’. Here is her team:

The best team of males went to our runner-up ‘Sinner’s Injuries’.

Our best team of ladies went to our winner Fantasy Alive.

Now onto the best team that you could have picked – The Dream Team

Some Special Mentions who missed out on the dream team:

• Sinner – scored an impressive 38 points
• Medvedev – scored 33 points
• Eubanks – scored 30 points

• Sabalenka – scored an impressive 38 points
• Rybakina – scored 32 points
• Pegula – scored 31 points

Thanks to everyone who entered. We have a bit of a break now before the US Open starts on 28th of August. Can’t wait!!