Carlos Alcaraz wins 2023 Wimbledon

Wimbledon 2023 is now over. It was another exciting fortnight at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. While any Grand Slam event attracts plenty of attention, Wimbledon has an aura all its own. 

There were big storylines heading into the tournament, and some surprises on the court as well. 

Here is a look at big news stories in and around Wimbledon, including a salute to the champs.

Alcaraz Whips Djokovic

There was much hype heading into the Men’s Final at Wimbledon, where the top-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz was able to close the sale. Alcaraz didn't have as much experience or success (to this point) as his opponent, second-seed Novak Djokovic.

The final turned out to be a brilliant display of tennis, four hours and 42 minutes to be exact. Djokovic did get off the mark quickly with an easy, first-set win. Alcaraz, though, flipped the script in five sets (1-6, 7-6 [8-6], 6-1, 3-6, 6-4).

At just 20 years and 72 days old, Alcatraz is the third-youngest men's player to win the event. Alcaraz afterwards said it was an honor to play against Djokovic, explaining how he used to idolize him as a kid.

This was just the fourth time Alcaraz has played in a tourney on grass. He never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon prior to running this table. Alcaraz was able to win a second Grand Slam title, adding this to last season’s U.S. Open.

He is the 3-2 (+150) second choice to successfully defend at Flushing Meadows, according to U.S. Open tennis odds.

Djokovic, the 6-5 favorite at the U.S. Open, was after his eighth title at Wimbledon. He has grown into a huge fan favorite at the event. Playing great tennis over the past 12 months, he wasn’t able to solve Alcaraz this past Sunday.

Alcaraz had to convince himself he could beat Djokovic before the match, then went out and proved it on the court.

"Smashed" and Fined

There were some moments of frustration exhibited by Novak Djokovic. He smashed his racket against the net post during the defeat in the final match, and that is costing him some money.

Umpire Tom Murphy issued a code violation after the outburst, just after a time violation was assessed to Djokovic. Djokovic isn’t one to express his frustrations often, but unhappy with his performance at the time.

While the $8,000 payroll deduction is not going to make a difference to Djokovic, it was the largest individual fine handed out during the event.

Who Had Vondrousova?

Marketa Vondrousova came out of nowhere (and the Czech Republic) to win the women’s title in a stunning run. The unseeded Vandrousova authored a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 6 Ons Jabeur.

Jabeur was a Wimbledon finalist a year ago as well.

Vandrousova wouldn’t have been such a shock prior to 2019, but injuries had certainly derailed her. She was once ranked in the top-15, but hasn't had much success after surgeries forced her to miss time. She’s the first unseeded player to win it all at Wimbledon.

Jabeur's lost three Slam finals in the past 12 months, also 0-3 against Vandrousova in their last meetings. She was also visibly distraught after the match, which lasted less than 90 minutes.

Vondrousova, meanwhile, cracked the top 10 (at No. 10) in the new order of rankings.

If you're a believer in her repeating this feat, she’s at 14-1 (+1400) on the board next season, as per 2024 Wimbledon odds.