We are the Champions

ATP

Alcaraz makes history (again)

“Record Breaker” might be a suitable job title for Carlos Alcaraz on LinkedIn. By defending his Wimbledon title this past Sunday against Novak Djokovic, the 21 year old Spaniard made history in many ways.

• He is now just the 6th man in the open era to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, called the Channel Double

• He’s the first Spanish player ever to win back to back Wimbledon titles

• Alongside Roger Federer, he is the only other player to start their careers a perfect 4-0 in grand slam finals

• He’s also crushing it amongst his peers. Carlos is the only player outside of Roger, Rafa or Novak to win multiple slams in the same year since 2000

To make his day even better, Spain defeated England in the Euro Cup final. Maybe this time he’ll be singing We Are the Champions at a night club in Ibiza with the team (I can’t imagine his energy with a vodka red bull in hand).

Next, Alcaraz will train for his debut at the Olympics, where he’s teaming up with his idol, Rafael Nadal, in the doubles draw. The only question I have is - if Alcaraz is on the ad side and Nadal on the deuce, who should take the forehand in the middle of the court?

Trivia

Which WTA player holds the record for most weeks ranked World No. 1?

A. Serena Williams

B. Martina Navratilova

C. Steffi Graf

D. Iga Świątek

Find out at the bottom!

WTA

Best day ever

In a thrilling three set contest, 28 year old Czech Barbora Krajcikova defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to win her first Wimbledon singles title on Saturday.

During the on-court interview Krajcikova said this was, “the best day of my tennis career -- and the best day of my life.” She also mentioned her late mentor Jana Novotná, who hoisted the Rosewater Dish in 1998, as the person who encouraged her to turn pro and believed that she could win at the highest level.

While Barbora isn’t as well known as her colleagues like Coco, Iga, Aryna, and others, she has had an incredibly impressive and decorated career. In singles, she’s been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, and was the 2022 Roland Garros champion. And in doubles, she’s been No. 1 in the world, has won 10 grand slam titles, and took home Olympic gold in 2020.

Overall, she’s won a ridiculous 12 of 13 major finals. Talk about showing up when it matters.

Around the Net

More News, Memes and Throwbacks

🎾 One serve only. That’s one change Patrick Mouratoglou (current coach of Holger Rune and former coach of Serena Williams) would make to tennis. I’m nervous just thinking about it. Listen to his take on that and who the GOAT is in his recent interview with Nick Kyrgios.

📈 Looking for a man in finance? Juan Martin del Potro might not have blue eyes, but everything else in his latest IG post checks out.

💭 Didn’t catch as much of Wimbledon as you would have liked? No problem. Check out these 50 parting thoughts from this year’s tournament, written by legendary reporter and journalist Jon Wertheim.

😤 The US Open is fired up to hold the last slam of the year in just 6 weeks

Trivia Answer

C. Steffi Graf

Graf spent 377 weeks (that’s 7+ years) ranked World No. 1. The next closest WTA player is Martina Navratilova, who spent 332 weeks at the top.