Carlos Alcaraz received an unusual piece of praise from BBC presenter Annabel Croft during the trophy ceremony after he beat Novak Djokovic to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon
Annabel Croft was left red-faced after describing Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz as “hot” while interviewing Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.
Alcaraz blitzed Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6 to win the men’s singles title for a second successive year on Sunday afternoon. The 21-year-old Spaniard dominated proceedings to get the job done a lot quicker than last year, when he needed five sets to beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.
His stunning performance had Centre Court on their feet and he was presented with the trophy by The Princess of Wales. BBC presenter Croft was tasked with conducting the on-court interviews and started with the defeated Djokovic.
“Novak, I know this is not the result that you wanted, but you were up against such a hot, talented opponent today in Carlos Alcaraz…” she began, before hearing a huge cheer and laughter from the crowd. After realising the double-meaning of her phrasing, she continued: “He was on fire. Can you just share with us your thoughts on the final?”
Alcaraz was shown laughing sat in his chair at the side of the court, while Djokovic also took the moment in good humour. He replied: “That’s what I was about to say, he was definitely very hot today on the court!”
Djokovic then switched to more serious matters by reflecting on his 10th Wimbledon final and his second successive defeat by Alcaraz, who now has four Grand Slam titles to his name at just 21. “Obviously not the result that I wanted, of course especially in the first couple of sets, not the level of tennis I wanted,” Djokovic said.
“It wasn’t up to par from my side but credit to Carlos for playing some incredible tennis, some very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve, I mean he had it all today. I tried to push him, I saved three match points and extended it, but it wasn’t to be.
“He was an absolutely deserved winner today, so huge congratulations to him for amazing tennis. And to his team, Juan Carlos [Ferrero] and everyone, his family, you guys are doing an amazing job. It’s a one-man show when you’re on the court. Only 21 years old age, it’s incredible, keep it going and we’ll see a lot of you, I’m sure.”
When it was his turn to speak, Alcaraz repaid the compliments to Djokovic before describing the victory. “Well honestly, it is a dream for me, winning this trophy,” he said.
“I did an interview when I was 12 or 11 years old and I said my dream was to win Wimbledon. I am achieving my dream. I want to keep going. For me this is the most beautiful court, tournament and trophy.”