Alcaraz and Vondrousova Win 2023 Wimbledon Titles, as Predicted by Universal Tennis INSIGHTS

Alcaraz and Vondrousova Win 2023 Wimbledon Titles, as Predicted by Universal Tennis INSIGHTS

4 min read

Finals weekend at Wimbledon was one for the ages as Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova emerged as the 2023 champions. Both new superstars won Wimbledon for the first time, with Alcaraz having captured the 2022 US Open and Vondrousova earning her first major.

Let’s take a look at how Universal Tennis INSIGHTS called it.

Vondrousova Stuns Jabeur

Going into Saturday’s final, most would have given Ons Jabeur a higher chance of finally winning her first Grand Slam. She had been to two finals (Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022) and was seeded No. 6. Meanwhile, Vondrousova was aiming to become the first unseeded ladies' singles champion at the All England Club in the Open era.

Universal Tennis INSIGHTS sided with Vondrousova at 56% odds. Notably, the Czech had beaten the Tunisian on two occasions this year (at the Australian Open and Indian Wells). The lefty also had a higher UTR Rating and a three-month trending UTR Rating.

 

 

Jabeur got off to a 4-2 lead, but after settling in, Vondrousova reeled off five games in a row. Jabeur would turn things around to lead 3-1 in the second set, only for Vondrousova to storm back and seal the victory on her second match point, 6-4, 6-4.

"I think I was just open-minded. I didn't have much stress until today," Vondrousova said. "I think you just have to believe in yourself. I was just trying not to think much about the title and everything. I think you just have to stay, like, focused and in your head, and just have the small circle around you, just do the same things as you always do. Yeah, I feel like anything can happen."

Though unseeded, Vondrousova entered Wimbledon ranked No. 10 in the UTR Pro Tennis Tour rankings (based on UTR) — now her WTA ranking reflects that, jumping 32 spots to a career-high No. 10.

Marketa Vondrousova came back from two wrist surgeries to win her first major. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Alcaraz Conquers Djokovic on His Turf

In the men’s final on Sunday, most expected Djokovic to rely on his superior experience to defeat Alcaraz and seal his 24th Grand Slam and eighth Wimbledon. INSIGHTS had other ideas, giving the 20-year-old Spaniard the slight edge at 51%.

 

 

Alcaraz had never played a Wimbledon final before — in fact, 2023 marked his third-ever appearance at SW19. Djokovic was looking to capture his fourth in a row, hadn't lost at the All England Club since 2017, and hadn't lost on Centre Court since 2013. Djokovic ran away with the first set before Alcaraz dug in and managed to save a set point in an 8-6 tiebreak win, closing it out with a stunning backhand return winner. Had Alcaraz dropped that set to the 36-year-old Serbian, things could have turned out very differently.

The points would only get more competitive and thrilling as the two traded sets — at one stage early in the third set, they played a 27-minute long game. In the fifth set, it was all Alcaraz as he stepped on the gas pedal, getting an early break and never looking back for a 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win.

 

 

"Well, I did it for myself, not for tennis generation, honestly," Alcaraz said. "It was great. Beating Novak at his best, in this stage, making history, being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me. It's something that I will never forget, that's for sure."

INSIGHTS showed Alcaraz had the higher UTR and three-month trending UTR, and although he’d cramped in a Roland Garros loss to Djokovic, he had beaten him before, over a year ago, to win the Madrid crown.

Doubles and Junior Champions Crowned

No. 1 seeds Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof defeated Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos for the Wimbledon men’s doubles trophy, while Barbora Strycova and Hsieh Su-Wei ousted Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter for the women’s crown.

In junior action, unseeded Brit Henry Searle won over a lot of fans by capturing the boy’s singles crown, defeating No. 5 seed Yaroslav Demin in the final. Searle didn’t drop a set before becoming the first British boy’s junior Wimbledon champion in 61 years.

 

 

American Clervie Ngounoue, seeded No. 2, won the girl’s title with a dominant win over unseeded Czech Nikola Bartunkova, also not dropping a set all tournament. It’s the first junior major for both Searle and Ngounoue.





Back to blog