The biggest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world ended in what many had hoped would be a masterpiece final. It becomes everything you could dream of – and then some.

A battle of medieval proportions between the powerful 36-year-old Serbian maestro and the 16-year-younger Spanish crown prince and world leader. Where no one really thought Alcaraz had a chance of beating Djokovic. Not enough. Not on the grass.

The first set also looks like a male lion playing with a confused young antelope. The applause when Alcaraz finally won the game felt more out of pity than anything else. Djokovic won the first set 6-1 after total dominance. Everyone knows what that means.

Djokovic has won 104 consecutive Grand Slam matches after taking the first set.

But then something started to happen. The young Spaniard unleashed power and play that no one would have thought possible in just his fourth tournament on grass. Alcaraz held on and fought his way back into the match.

All the drama somehow came together in an absolutely insane fifth game in the third set, where the match stood and tilted. This one match lasted 27 minutes and deuce 14 times.

When Alcaraz won the match and soon after the third set, it felt truly past the point where history was about to be changed.

For this intense, five-hour epic duel is more than a single dazzling performance.

It was a change of throne. A Hollywood play.

With Kate Middleton, King Felipe of Spain, Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig engaged the crowd inside Center Court at Wimbledon.

And it was a turning point – long overdue, after the top four, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray, completely dominated for more than two decades. The last time another player won the men’s Wimbledon was in 2002.

After beating Djokovic at his best, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz became everyone’s role model.

It was a moment that everyone who saw it felt very, very special. The perfect full stop.

Casper summer concert

Norway’s efforts much earlier in the tournament did not receive much attention. For completely natural reasons.

Because neither Casper Ruud nor our greatest female player Ulrikke Eikeri could leave the tournament feeling proud, albeit for very different reasons.

Casper Ruud smiled at the press conference after his shock loss to Britain’s Liam Broady in the second round.

But the British tennis journalist didn’t like the smile, paradoxically enough. They didn’t get the feeling that the Norwegian world star was taking the tournament seriously.

After his last loss against Djokovic at the French Open in Paris in June, Ruud chose a somewhat unconventional path of preparation to Wimbledon. Instead of using the time to improve on a particular game that was on grass, Ruud opted to completely cut himself off from tennis.

And it caused a stir when she was spotted on social media dancing to “Moth to a flame” at a concert with American superstar The Weeknd in Stockholm.

Many might think that seeing a more personal and more relaxed Casper Ruud is liberating. But when you, as the fourth best player in the world, lose 6-0 in the decider in the second round of the world’s most important tournament against the 142nd ranked player in the world, the reaction goes regardless.

Ruud’s polite nature can quickly backfire on him in a situation like this.

Ruud was criticized for not being ambitious enough and lacking the ultimate grit needed to win the biggest tournaments. Which is a rather harsh assessment of a player who has been in three of tennis’ biggest finals in the last 14 months. But who lost everything.

Even his opponent, Broady, stated that he didn’t think Ruud sounded ambitious.

At Wimbledon, his stats are two wins in six matches.

Casper Ruud will never win a turf tournament. But the British want to see someone who looks like they care about their tennis party and not just want to go to a concert.

Because Ruud’s smile appeared when he was asked again about The Weeknd.

Slightly surprising, Ruud has also been entered in the doubles competition, so he has a valid reason to stay in the British capital. And have a new Weeknd concert.

The morning after The Weeknd’s performance at the London Stadium, Ruud opted out of the doubles tournament due to a shoulder injury and headed home. Maybe random. But enough to irritate critical tennis experts.

Two days later, Ruud was seen training full time at home in Snarøya.

The Norwegian star’s next target is the US Open. No one would mention Wimbledon if he went to the final there again and exacted revenge on the critics.

Norwegian double fault

One person who has surprisingly escaped criticism is Norway’s women’s player of the year, Ulrikke Eikeri. She opted to compete in doubles with Russian Alexandra Panova.

Eikeri, until now, has not commented on his reasons for choosing such a Russian collaboration.

Despite the possible lack of alternatives and the fact that, however, there are others who have once again opened the door to the participation of Russian players under the so-called “neutral” flag, such a choice is unsustainable.

It seems stupid.

Because it’s a choice – and there are always alternatives. If Eikeri wanted it. Without the fact that neither the Norwegian Tennis Association nor the Norwegian Sports Association want to criticize him for this.

Eikeri and her friend from Russia won a match in the doubles tournament, quite symbolic against a Czech pair that included a player surnamed Putintseva.

Winner mother and morals

Symbolically, this year’s great hero story at Wimbledon is Ukrainian.

The biggest tennis tournament in the world is back this time, after last year’s controversy.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, as they are called, bowed to international pressure and allowed Belarusian and Russian players to participate. Against the expressed wishes of Ukraine.

The best of them, Elina Svitolina, later also refused to thank players from both countries for the match, regardless of whether they had expressed their rejection of war in their home countries.

But on the grass at SW19, which is the classic ZIP code where the tournament is being played, Svitolina also marks her opponent in the most effective way possible, namely by playing some outstanding tennis.

Svitolina, originally from Odesa, became a mother nine months earlier and entered the tournament with what was billed as a wildcard. And amazed everyone, including himself.

The audience loves Svitolina and almost supports her in tournaments.

On her way to the semifinals, she defeated four former Grand Slam winners, including Venus Williams, Belarusian Viktoryja Azarenka and Polish world number one Iga Swiatek. Before that was the emotional end of an incredible run in the semifinals against eventual winner Marketa Vondrousova.

Styles support

Contrary to our expectations in Norway, Elina Svitolina walked away from Wimbledon in the most honorable way possible, having achieved her goal of making Ukrainians proud.

Svitolina had so little faith in her own success that she bought tickets to a concert in Vienna with Harry Styles in the middle of a tournament.

After he went to the quarterfinals, he had to admit that there was no concert for him. The answer came from the tennis-obsessed Styles, who invited her to one of his last remaining shows on the world tour.

The last chance is on Friday in Italy’s Reggio Emilia.

Let’s hope he makes it – and can sing along to a hit “Watermelon Sugar”which more than anything describes the feeling the day after the world’s greatest tennis party ended:

“I want more berries. And that feeling of summer. It’s so beautiful and warm».