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Days After 20-Year-Old Carlos Alcaraz’s Honest Martina Navratilova Confession, Tennis Legend Jimmy Connors Sends Words of Respect to the Spaniard for His Humility

Published 07/22/2023, 9:56 AM EDT

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Martina Navratilova has been a source of inspiration to a lot of young players. Transcending the boundaries of WTA, she has continued to be a source of success for other young ATP players. One of them is the recent 20-year-old Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz Garfia who took down the 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the finals. Now, the American tennis legend Jimmy Connors is giving a shout-out to one of the greatest WTA players.

Due to Martina Navratilova, Carlos Alcaraz modified his game during the Wimbledon finals this year. This eventually paved good results for him as he clinched his first Wimbledon title.

Jimmy Connors hails Martina Navratilova for playing a part in the Wimbledon victory of Carlos Alcaraz

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Alcaraz and Djokovic put up one of the greatest matches of all time in the Wimbledon finals this year. Subsequently, Alcaraz clinched a thrilling victory against the Serbian tennis legend in a five-set thriller.

However, there was one thing that Alcaraz had modified for his grass-court finals owing to Navratilova’s advice before the match. In the podcast, ‘Advantage Connors’, Brett Connors revealed, “Martina mentioned to him, gave him some friendly advice, mix in some more slice, your slice backhand.” Later on, after his victory, Alcaraz reached out to Navratilova and told her that he listened to her.

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To this, Jimmy Connors stated, “Let me just give a shout-out to Alcaraz for listening to probably the greatest woman player ever to play the game.

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The Czech-American star is hailed as the best for a reason. Hence, winning nine Wimbledon titles come with expertise. Expertise in knowing a thing or two about how one can ace the match.

Though this played a role in Alcaraz’s victory, Rafael Nadal‘s uncle Toni Nadal feels Djokovic could have still turned things in his favor.

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Rafael Nadal’s uncle breaks down the reason behind the Wimbledon loss of Novak Djokovic

The Serbian tennis legend was aiming to get his 24th Grand Slam title and was going to equalize his Wimbledon title record with Roger Federer. However, the 20-year-old champion wants Djokovic to wait for some time.

But Toni Nadal, uncle of Rafael Nadal felt that it all happened because of a breakpoint that he missed by carelessly smashing the ball into the net. Alcaraz took advantage of that miss and turned the tide in his favor from the next game onwards.

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Do you think Alcaraz could have lost had Djokovic secured that breakpoint? Let us know your views in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: Days After Pain-Staking Night for Novak Djokovic, Rival Rafael Nadal’s Uncle Dissects the Big Mistake That Proved Costly for the Serbian Tennis Legend

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Written by:

Shivali Sharma

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Shivali Sharma is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, who specializes in off-court topics and has a particular focus on the legendary ‘Queen of the Court’, Serena Williams. With a wealth of experience in the industry, Shivali has authored numerous articles covering varied topics concerning the 23-time Grand Slam champion, including her personal life, career, and more. In addition to her work on Serena Williams, Shivali is also a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires the four-time Major winner, particularly for her advocacy for mental health.
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Edited by:

Bhavani Singh