Hat tip for the old boss

 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain smoked Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the men's final at Wimbledon yesterday, the second year in a row he beat Joker to claim the big trophy. He's now won two of the three Grand Slams this year -- he also won the French Open a month ago -- and, at 21, he already has four Grand Slams on his ledger.

This is not about the new boss of men's tennis, however.

This is about the old boss.

This is where we hit pause to tip a hat to Djokovic, who not all that long ago was everything Alcaraz is and more. And who isn't exactly stumbling off the stage here in what we must assume is career twilight.

That's because he's 37 years old and still reaching Grand Slam finals.

That means he's still better than every tennis player in the world besides Alcaraz. It means, at 37, he still has enough juice left to routinely take down elite players seven, eight, ten years younger. And it means, finally, that he is likely the best we've ever seen at this game, and we should pay him proper homage.

Fans of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may dispute that assessment, and given that they're the only two players in history besides Joker to win more than 20 career Grand Slams, it's not an unfair contention. But neither Federer nor Nadal -- the former five years older than Joker, the latter a year older -- was able to sustain his game at such a high level for as long as Djokovic has. Which is why they won 20 and 22 Grand Slams, respectively, while Djokovic is the all-time leader with 24.

No one else in the history of men's tennis has more than 14. 

Djokovic, meanwhile, has not only won 24 Slams, he won the bulk of them competing against arguably the next two greatest players ever.

Federer left the game in 2022, and Nadal's body is breaking down to the point that 2024 may be his last year. And yet here Djokovic is, still making the Wimby finals at 37.

And, yes, it's true, he's not exactly been the most engaging personality in the game all these years. Compared to Federer, the consummate professional, and Nadal, the effervescent Spaniard, Djokovic has often come off as dour and snarky and willfully contrarian. And -- let's face it -- just a platinum-grade horse's ass at times. 

And yet ...

And yet, he remains a marvel. So take a moment here and marvel.