A beaming Carlos Alcaraz said winning Wimbledon was “the happiest moment of my life”. The 20-year-old Spaniard became the third-youngest man to win the title after Boris Becker and Björn Borg, coming out on top after almost five hours on Sunday.

“Right now is the happiest moment of my life, that’s for sure,” Alcaraz said, after his dramatic 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory. “Probably in five years will change. Right now, I’m 20, I didn’t live too many situations like this, so I’m going to enjoy this moment.

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“Making history that I did today, it’s the happiest moment of my life. I think it’s not going to change for a long time. Beating Novak, winning Wimbledon championship, is something that I dreamed about since I start playing tennis. That’s why it is the biggest moment of my life.

“It’s great to win but even if I had lost I would have been really proud of myself for this amazing run, making history, playing in the final of this amazing tournament against a legend of our sport, it’s amazing, a dream come true. For a boy of 20 years old, I didn’t expect to reach this stage so fast. I’m very proud of myself and my team. I am falling in love with grass right now.”

Alcaraz said he had given himself a talking-to after a first set in which he won just one game. “After the first set I thought: Carlos, raise your level, or everybody would be disappointed,” he told the crowd. “You helped a lot. I’m really proud to play in front of royalty … and Felipe [the king of Spain]. Felipe, you watched me twice and I won, I hope you come more.”

Djokovic had not lost on Centre Court since the 2013 final against Andy Murray and Alcaraz said he hoped his peers would be inspired by his win. “I did it for myself, not for tennis generation, honestly. 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.

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“It’s something that I will never forget, that’s for sure. It’s great for the new generation, as well, I think to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable to do it, as well. It’s great for me and I think for the young players.”

Djokovic had a point to lead by two sets to love and then, in the final set, missed a break point that would have put him up 2-0, eventually missing out on what would have been a record-equalling eighth men’s title and record-equalling 24th grand slam title overall.

“The backhands kind of let me down, to be honest,” he said. “Set point, I missed the backhand. I should not have missed that shot. Some regrets. I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tie‑breaker better. But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth. He was a deserved winner today, no doubt.”

Djokovic said he had been impressed by Alcaraz’s maturity under pressure. “Amazing poise in the important moment. For someone of his age to handle the nerves like this, be playing attacking tennis, and to close out the match the way he did … I thought I returned very well that last game, but he was just coming up with some amazing, amazing shots.”

Describing Alcaraz as a combination of himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic said he hoped to get a chance for revenge soon. “I hope we get to play in US Open. I think it’s good for the sport, No 1 and 2 in the world facing each other in almost a five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldn’t be better for our sport in general, so why not?”