Carlos Alcaraz proves Novak Djokovic he isn't any 'regular Next Gen' player, admits he is coming for the throne

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Carlos Alcaraz is different. He is different from all the 'Next Gen' players in the ways he conducts himself, in the way he approaches his game, and in the way he thinks despite just being 21-year-old.

There wasn't even a hint of pride as Carlos Alcaraz defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to win his fourth major title in a span of just six years after turning pro.

The Spaniard is just the sixth player in the open era after Roger Federer, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, and Rod Laver to win the clay court and grass court Grand Slam in the same season. Alcaraz defeated another 'Next Gen' player in Alexander Zverev to win the French open in early June.

The talks about 'Next Gen' taking over have been doing the rounds for good four to five years now. But consistency and the urge to be madly dedicated to the game has lacked in the best of them. Someone like Dominic Thiem looked a bright prospect when he defeated Zverev in the final of US Open 2020 in a five-set thriller.

He qualified for the French Open final twice, and Australia Open final once before winning the US Open. Four years later, the Austrian has already announced that he would be retiring from tennis after his US Open 2024 campaign.

Russian Daniil Medvedev has attained the number one ranking and been into several finals but failed to cross the distance. 25-year-old Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has also failed to cross the final hurdle twice.

However, that's not the case with Alcaraz. He is ready to grind himself and take over the world of tennis. Beating Djokovic in back-to-back Wimbledon 2024 finals is no joke.

Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, has made a mockery of his opponents hundreds of times with his near-perfect style of tennis. The Serbian has often been called the most mentally strong player among the 'Big 3', however Carlos did not give him a inch at the Centre Court on Sunday.

Djokovic saved three championship points to break Alcaraz, but the young maverick showed character beyond his age and quickly recollected himself to win the tie-breaker. 37-year-old Djokovic had in past taken light-hearted digs at 'Next Gen' players, but he himself applauded Alcaraz and accepted his defeat gracefully at the hands of Alcaraz - the heir apparent of the 'Big 3'.

"Obviously it's a really great start of my career, but I have to keep going. I have to keep building my path. At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys. That's my main goal. That's my dream right now," Alcaraz said after winning his fourth Grand Slam title.

"It doesn't matter if I already won four Grand Slams at the age of 21. If I don't keep going, all these tournaments for me, it doesn't matter. I really want to keep going. I will try to keep winning and end my career with a lot of them.

"I don't know what is my limit. I don't want to think about it. I just want to keep enjoying my moment, just to keep dreaming. So let's see if at the end of my career, it's going to be 25, 30, 15, four. I don't know. All I want to say is I want to keep enjoying, and let's see what the future brings to me," he added.