Novak Djokovic has admitted he was shocked by Carlos Alcaraz's serving prowess during their Wimbledon final showdown on Sunday.
The Serb was beaten in straight sets, with Alcaraz winning 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 to secure the trophy for the second year in a row.
Djokovic was unable to make an impact during the showdown, with the 37-year-old struggling to cope with his brilliant opponent.
And the world No 2, speaking after the match, has admitted he was shocked by the brilliance of his opponent's serve.
Novak Djokovic has admitted he was shocked by Carlos Alcaraz's serving prowess during their Wimbledon final showdown on Sunday.
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Djokovic also admitted he regretted not getting the crowd involved more, having made some progress in the third set.
“Just overall the way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court," he said.
“That's it. He was a better player. He played every single shot better than I did.
“I don't think I could have done something much more. Try to pump myself up maybe. Get the crowd involved.
"That's what was happening in the third. That got me going a little bit.
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"He wasn't also allowing me to have many free points on my serve.
"He was reading the serve. He was playing with a lot of variety. I've never seen him serve that way, to be honest.”
Djokovic played at Wimbledon just 37 days after undergoing surgery on his back.
And he said he's pleased with what he achieved, though obviously disappointed by his failure to win.
“I did all I can to prepare myself for this match and this tournament in general," he said.
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“If someone told me I would play Wimbledon finals three, four weeks ago, I would take it for sure. Where I was three, four weeks ago, where I am now.
“Of course, I do feel disappointed. It's a bitter taste to lose the finals the way I did today.
"It has to be a success at the end of the day with me and my team playing Wimbledon finals and losing to the best player of the tournament.”
Nick Kyrgios, meanwhile, thinks Alcaraz will become the poster boy of tennis following his win.
"Alcaraz will carry our sport a long way," he said.
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Novak Djokovic was stunned by Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's Wimbledon final
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"He will be the face of this sport alongside [Jannik] Sinner.
"He had three match points and somehow focused for the tie-break.
"The biggest enemy he'll have is his body. How healthy can he stay? I think he'll have upwards of 15 slams for sure."
He continued: "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.
"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.
Novak Djokovic praised Carlos Alcaraz after his sensational Wimbledon triumph on Sunday
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"He went back to his normal game style which was at the baseline attacking the serve of Alcaraz but the serve and volley tactic was odd to me.
"I’ve never seen Novak look so confused at such a crucial stage of a tournament."
