For once, Carlos Alcaraz was upstaged. Well, almost.
That takes some doing when you mark the first match of your career as the top seed at Wimbledon with a 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 victory in which you rattle through the opening two sets in a whistle-stop 54 minutes. This, though, was no ordinary match.
Throughout his 18 years on the professional tour, Wimbledon has held a unique place in the affections of Jérémy Chardy. It was the scene of his most notable early triumph, which came when he won the junior title in 2005, and he has lived in London with his wife, Susan, for eight years, during which time the All England Club has often allowed him to train onsite. So it was only fitting that Chardy, having decided to call time on his singles career at the age of 36, chose Wimbledon as the scene of his farewell.
It was an emotional occasion for the Frenchman, and the No 1 Court crowd seemed to sense it. They had come to enjoy the audacious shot-making of Alcaraz, of course, the charismatic Spanish world No 1 and reigning US Open champion. So too, in a sense, had Chardy, who said beforehand that he could think of no better end to his career than facing the world’s best player, on one of the sport’s most hallowed stages, before his watching family. But as Alcaraz tore through the opening set in just 22 minutes, no one was oblivious to the unfolding pathos.
With Alcaraz in irrepressible mood as he paraded his trademark array of firecracker forehands and deft drop shots, it took 35 minutes for the labouring Chardy to win his first game. When he finally did, hammering away a wrong-footing forehand behind a meaty first serve, it drew one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon.
Chardy was woeful in those early stages, not least on serve, where he repeatedly struggled with his ball toss. In the first set alone, he delivered seven double-faults. But as the match wore on, his play improved markedly, to the point where Alcaraz even found himself serving to stay in the third set. Chardy eventually left the court to a standing ovation, belatedly securing the send-off for which he had longed.
“When I arrived on the court, I was a little lost,” Chardy told L’Equipe. “I couldn’t serve at all, I made I don’t know how many double-faults. I was really tense.
“Then I managed to free myself and be able to enjoy at least the second part of the match. It was nice, and the audience was really great, it was cool. My son was there. I was happy, I felt good.
“And then, before leaving, I turned my head, I saw them, my wife and my son, and I started to cry a little. I was glad he could be with me to share this.”
Earlier, as Alcaraz served for a two-set lead, there was a lovely moment between the players after Chardy was told by the chair umpire that he was too late to challenge a line call on the Spaniard’s first serve. With a broad grin, Alcaraz sportingly intervened, using one of his own challenges to get the decision reviewed on his opponent’s behalf. Chardy was proved correct, Alcaraz won the point anyway, but justice had been served. The battle, such as it was, could resume.
The contest assumed a more serious complexion in the third set, however, particularly when Chardy battled through a couple of lengthy, attritional games to lead 4-2. If this was to be the final set of the Frenchman’s career, he clearly wanted to ensure it would be one to remember. Alcaraz, for his part, was not about to relinquish the momentum he established with his victory at Queen’s, and he came surging forward again, breaking back immediately as a Chardy sliced backhand nosedived into the net. Alcaraz would allow Chardy only one more game.
“I’m really happy with the level that I played, with the performance today,” said Alcaraz. “I think I played a really good game today. It is something that I am going to take to the next round.”
For Chardy, there will be no more next rounds. This was only his fifth match since the 2021 US Open, after which he suffered an adverse reaction to a Covid vaccine before undergoing knee surgery the following summer. He started a second career as a coach during that period of inactivity, mentoring his compatriot Ugo Humbert, and the younger man will no doubt learn plenty from a player who reached the last-16 of every major and rose to 25 in the world.
Alcaraz said afterwards that he is here “to win the tournament”; for him this was simply the first step towards a loftier goal. Yet merely by fulfilling his dream of quitting the sport on his own terms, Chardy too won a victory of sorts.