Carlos Alcaraz ruthlessly ends Jeremy Chardy's career with statement Wimbledon win
Jeremy Chardy played the final match of his career against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz got off to a blinding start at Wimbledon as he needed just an hour and 53 minutes to defeat Jeremy Chardy 6-0 6-2 7-5. The 36-year-old was playing the final match of his career after announcing that he would be retiring at Wimbledon but only settled into the match in the third set while the top seed produced a statement performance.
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Alcaraz was getting his Wimbledon campaign underway as the top seed - facing a new opponent in Chardy. It was guaranteed to be their first and last meeting with the Frenchman recently announcing that this would be the final tournament of his 18-year career.
The world No 1 got off to a flying start, coming in fresh off the back of winning his first grass-court title at Queen’s. Alcaraz needed just 22 minutes to take the first set 6-0, dropping only two points on his serve while Chardy hit 10 unforced errors.
Once ranked at No 25 in the world, Chardy has dropped to No 542 and missed the entirety of the 2022 season. Wimbledon marked the 36-year-old’s fifth tournament of the year and he has already started his post-playing career, taking up coaching 12 months ago.
Chardy continued to struggle with Alcaraz’s power and precision as the Spaniard kept storming through the second set, extending his streak to eight games in a row. The retiring Frenchman finally got on the board at 0-6 1-2 earning a huge applause from the Court 1 crowd which carried on for several minutes after he won the game.
He managed to notch a second game on the scoreboard but Alcaraz took a double-break lead and had pocketed the first two sets in under an hour, hurtling towards the second round. Chardy took a lead in a set for the first time as he held to start the third and stepped it up to create four break point chances at 2-3.
The 36-year-old started crushing the ball and managed to break with a booming forehand winner, earning more support from the fans. But Alcaraz got straight back on serve and earned his second break at a crucial time - serving for the match at 6-5.
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The world No 1 was able to close out the match to love after recovering from a 2-4 deficit in the third set. It means that Chardy’s professional playing career draws to a close.
The 36-year-old won his only title in Stuttgart back in 2009 and reached his career-high ranking of No 25 in 2013. He also enjoyed a successful doubles career - winning seven titles and reaching the final of his home Grand Slam, the French Open, in 2019.
Ahead of his farewell, Chardy - who lives nearby in London - told L’Equipe: “I have my whole family coming, I'm playing against the world No 1 on one of the most beautiful courts... It will be a great end no matter what. It is a reward after all efforts. If this is the last match, it will be a chance to live this last experience. After the difficult period that happened to me, I did not want to stop outside the court.”
Alcaraz is now guaranteed to face another Frenchman in the second round as he meets the winner of a clash between Alexandre Muller and Arthur Rinderknech - one of several matches interrupted by the rain on Tuesday.
