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Wimbledon final preview: Djokovic seeks Alcaraz revenge in blockbuster rematch

  • Posted: Jul 13, 2024

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet once again in a blockbuster Wimbledon championship match on Sunday in a repeat of last year’s final.

Twelve months ago, the Spaniard Alcaraz lit up Centre Court where he earned a thrilling five-set victory against the Serbian to clinch his first Wimbledon title and end Djokovic’s run of dominance in west London. With his four-hour, 42-minute win, the 21-year-old became just the fourth active male player to lift the trophy at SW19 after Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Djokovic, who won four consecutive titles at the grass-court major from 2018-2022.

By advancing to the championship match again in 2024, Alcaraz has become just the fourth man in the Open Era to reach multiple Wimbledon finals aged 21 and under. The Spaniard has never lost a Grand Slam final (3-0) and last month at Roland Garros he became the youngest player in the Open Era to win a major on all three surfaces.

If the third seed overcomes Djokovic on Centre Court on Sunday afternoon, he will become just the sixth man to achieve the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.

“Winning Grand Slams is difficult. Obviously changing from clay to a grass court, totally different surfaces, totally different game of play,” Alcaraz said earlier this fortnight when asked about his opportunity to complete the clay-grass double. “Let’s say I’m going to try. Obviously I want to put my name on that short list to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year. I know that’s going to be a really difficult and big challenge for me, but I think I’m ready to do it.”

On Sunday, Djokovic will seek revenge against Alcaraz and aim to equal Roger Federer’s record eight trophies at The All England Club. If he wins the title, the 37-year-old will become the oldest champion in tournament history and move to a record-extending 25 majors.

Djokovic is relishing the opportunity to test himself against Alcaraz again on the biggest stage.

“He already beat me here in a thrilling five-setter. I don’t expect anything less than that,” Djokovic said looking ahead to the final. “A huge battle on the court. He is as complete a player as they come, so it is going to take the best of my abilities on the court overall to beat him on Sunday.”

Djokovic takes a 3-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head series into their final clash, with little to separate them. The second seed, who is chasing his first title of the season, arrived at Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery in early June. The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has moved well throughout the event, dropping just two sets en route to his 10th Wimbledon final.

“There was plenty of doubt,” Djokovic said about his chances of playing and competing at Wimbledon. “Coming to London about eight days before the tournament started I didn’t know whether I would play the tournament or not. I was keeping everything open until the day of the draw. I played a couple of practise sets with top players and an exhibition match which proved to me I was in a good enough state to be not just part of Wimbledon but to go deep.

“I said before the tournament that if I didn’t think I had a chance of going deep in the tournament I probably wouldn’t be playing. The mentality is there, it is ever present and I am just very pleased and thankful to all the team members for helping me.”

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Alcaraz’s game is no replica of Djokovic’s. But in last year’s final, the Spaniard showed similar traits. Djokovic has spoken about the mental edge he owns over most opponents because of what he has achieved. But the same way the 37-year-old had no fear of Federer and Nadal when he was on the rise, Alcaraz did not shy away from the challenge of going blow for blow with the seven-time Wimbledon champion. It did not matter that it was just the fourth grass-court tournament of his career.

So often, the 98-time tour-level titlist has escaped inescapable positions in matches by finding a way to win the biggest points, giving himself a shot to find his best tennis later in the match. Alcaraz essentially Djokovic’d Djokovic that day on Centre Court and in doing so, pierced the Serbian’s aura of invincibility.

Twelve months on and two defeats to the Serbian in between (Cincinnati & Nitto ATP Finals) the question remains if the Spaniard can do similar on Sunday.

“Obviously everybody knows Djokovic. He has played multiple Grand Slam finals, has won a lot of them. Last year it was a really difficult match. He put me in real trouble, I’m going to say,” Alcaraz said on Friday. “I know how it’s going to feel playing against Djokovic. I’ve played few times in Grand Slams, finals of Masters 1000 multiple times against him. I know what I have to do. I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me. It’s going to be a really interesting one.”

Djokovic will be competing in his 37th major final and has experience on his side. However, the Serbian knows more than anyone about the task of trying to defeat No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz.

“He is a great example of a young player who has a well-balanced life on and off the court. Great team of people. Great values in his family,” Djokovic said. “A lot of charisma and carries himself well on and off the court with a smile. That is why people like him and he is deservedly one of the greatest 21 year olds we have ever seen in this sport. We are going to see a lot of him in the future no doubt. He is going to win many more Grand Slams, but hopefully [on Sunday] maybe not this one.”

Earlier this season, Alcaraz successfully defended his Indian Wells title and in 2023 he retained his trophies in Madrid and Barcelona. When asked about pressure of defending his crown at SW19 ahead of the final, the Spaniard was quick to play it down.

“I try not to think that I’m the defending champion. I just go into every match thinking that obviously I have chances to lose. Every match, it’s a war,” Alcaraz said on Friday after beating Daniil Medvedev in four sets. “The opponent, they are going to put his best tennis to beat you. I am thinking that I have to play my best tennis if I want to keep going. Honestly, since the tournament began, I didn’t think I am the defending champion.”

With the eyes of the world watching, Alcaraz and Djokovic will be desperate to make more history on Sunday from 2 p.m. local time when the men’s singles final will commence.

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Djokovic on Alcaraz: 'I see a lot of similarities between us'

  • Posted: Jul 12, 2024

Novak Djokovic will aim to gain revenge when he meets Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final.

The Serbian, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in the semi-finals on Friday, admits that he sees a lot himself in the 21-year-old Spaniard, who beat the World No. 2 in five sets in last year’s final.

“He surprised I think all of us last year the way he played in Queen’s and Wimbledon, which he won back-to-back,” Djokovic said on Alcaraz. “You would think that for someone growing up in Spain, as he did, the way he’s playing, clay court, Grand Slam wins, which happened this year at Roland Garros, and US Open a few years ago was maybe not as surprising as Wimbledon. But the way he has moved, played the past couple of years on grass has been terrific to watch.

“I see a lot of similarities between me and him in terms of ability to adapt and adjust to the surface. I think that’s probably his biggest trait, is that he’s got skills to play equally well on any surface and to adapt to a given opponent that particular day.”

When Djokovic steps onto court on Sunday he will be aiming to clinch a record-equalling eighth crown at The Championships, drawing level with Roger Federer.

“Obviously I’m aware that Roger holds eight [titles at] Wimbledon. I hold seven. History is on the line. Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectation. Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99 per cent of the matches that I play.”

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Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery in early June. The second seed has moved well through his five matches at the grass-court major, dropping just two sets to reach his 10th Wimbledon final.

The 37-year-old is relieved with how his knee has held up during the past two weeks.

“I wasn’t sure until three, four days before the tournament whether I’m going to take part in it. I made an extra effort to recover as quickly as possible just because it was Wimbledon,” Djokovic said. “So I’m really, really happy to make the finals because I was not thinking about [that] in the first couple of matches. I was just thinking about moving well, not injuring myself and feeling more free to say in my movement.

“That’s what happened I think in the third and particularly fourth round. I felt like, ‘OK, I’m actually playing close to my best, and I can have a shot at the title’.”

Djokovic will aim to win his 99th tour-level title and first of 2024 when he faces Alcaraz on Sunday afternoon in west London. The Serbian takes a 3-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead into the clash but memories of last year’s final defeat to Alcaraz will still be fresh in the mind.

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Djokovic ends Musetti's run, seals Wimbledon final rematch with Alcaraz

  • Posted: Jul 12, 2024

Novak Djokovic moved to within one win of capturing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title on Friday when he ended Lorenzo Musetti’s run. The Serbian earned a 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4 win against the 22-year-old Italian to set a blockbuster rematch of last year’s final with Carlos Alcaraz.

In a hard-fought clash, Djokovic locked in at crucial moments, repelling Musetti’s court craft with impressive defence and consistency. The Italian fended off three match points from 0/40, 3-5 in the third set before Djokovic saved one break point to serve out and reach his 10th Wimbledon final after two hours and 48 minutes.

“There was plenty of doubt,” Djokovic said about his chances of playing and competing at Wimbledon after undergoing knee surgery in June. “Coming to London about eight days before the tournament started I didn’t know whether I would play the tournament or not. I was keeping everything open until the day of the draw. I played a couple of practise sets with top players and an exhibition match which proved to me I was in a good enough state to be not just part of Wimbledon but to go deep.

“I said before the tournament that if I didn’t think I had a chance of going deep in the tournament I probably wouldn’t be playing. The mentality is there, it is ever present and I am just very pleased and thankful to all the team members for helping me.”

If the 37-year-old Serbian wins a record-extending 25th major on Sunday, he will become the oldest champion in tournament history. Standing in his way is Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in a five-set thriller in last year’s final to win Wimbledon for the first time.

Djokovic, who leads Alcaraz 3-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, will be eager to avenge that defeat and draw level with Roger Federer on a record eight Wimbledon crowns.

Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery in early June. The 98-time tour-level titlist has moved freely during his five matches at The Championships and benefited from extra rest earlier this week when Alex de Minaur withdrew ahead of their quarter-final clash due to a hip injury.

In a business-like performance against Musetti, Djokovic won 59 per cent (17-29) of points on Musetti’s second serve but committed more unforced errors (34-31) and hit the same number of winners (34-34) as the Italian.

“I have said this story many times, but Wimbledon has always been a childhood dream for me to play and win it,” Djokovic said. “I was a seven-year-old boy in Serbia, watching the bombs fly overhead and dreaming of being on the most important court in the world, which is here, Centre Court at Wimbledon.

“During the match it is business time. It is trying to do your work and outplay your opponent. I am very satisfied and excited to be in another final. I don’t want to stop here and hopefully I will get my hands on that trophy on Sunday.”

Musetti was competing in his first major semi-final, having clawed past Taylor Fritz in five sets. The 22-year-old produced moments of magic on Centre Court, highlighted by an around-the-net post forehand winner in the second-set tie-break. However, he was unable to join Matteo Berrettini and Jasmine Paolini and become just the third Italian player to reach the title match at SW19, making errors at crucial times against Djokovic to succumb.

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Meeting for the seventh time, Djokovic made a fast start on Centre Court to take early control. The second seed was impressive on second serve return in the set, winning 70 per cent (7/10) of points on the Italian’s second delivery en route to breaking twice to lead.

Djokovic was pushed hard in the second set by Musetti, who used his slice backhand to good effect to keep the Serbian at bay. However, from 1-3 down, Djokovic roared back to level and then showed his trademark mental strength at 5-5, 0/30, serving four unreturned first serves to lead 6-5. In the tie-break, the Serbian was patient in rallies and benefited from three Musetti backhand errors to move further ahead.

The seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champ then broke immediately at the start of the third with a backhand winner crosscourt and from there held firm on serve to seal victory. Djokovic also beat Musetti last month at Roland Garros and leads the 25th seed 6-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Queen’s finalist Musetti leaves London up nine spots to No. 16 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Did You Know?
Djokovic, who is into his 37th major final, is chasing his first title of the season. The second seed has won his past nine semi-finals at The All England Club, last losing to Federer in 2012.

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Medvedev on Alcaraz: ‘Probably the toughest opponent I have faced’

  • Posted: Jul 12, 2024

Daniil Medvedev is one of the best problem solvers on the ATP Tour, freely moving from plan A to plan B and frustrating opponents with his extensive repertoire. But the 28-year-old met an all-too-familiar roadblock Friday at Wimbledon, where he fell in the semi-finals for the second straight year to Carlos Alcaraz.

“Probably in my career he’s the toughest opponent I have faced,” Medvedev said of Alcaraz in his post-match press conference. “But I have time, I have time to try to do better. The match against Carlos was much closer than last year. Last year, I went out from the match and I was like, ‘Wow, that was a semi-final, one hour, 30 [minutes] or something like this.’ Very fast. He crushed me off the court,” he added about last year’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 defeat. “Today, I felt like that was not the case.”

Medvedev is drawing on positives from his two weeks at the All England Club, having earned a five-set quarter-final victory against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Even in Medvedev’s loss to Alcaraz, who won 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, the fifth seed showed flashes of his best level, pushing the Spaniard for two hours, 55 minutes.

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“I felt like I was much closer [than last year], was just a little bit worse in some important points, important moments. I feel like the plan itself, I was playing well and just it was not enough anyway,” said Medvedev, fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. “Tough, tough match. Carlos plays well. I feel like the plan I came up with was working not so bad.”

Alcaraz leads Medvedev 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with three of those meetings coming at SW19. Medvedev won the pair’s first encounter at Wimbledon in 2021, but has since lost five of their past six matches. His second win against the three-time major champion came at last year’s US Open in the semi-final round.

“He’s tough to play,” Medvedev said. “I felt like I was serving good, definitely not worse than the other matches. Only five aces. He seemed to touch almost every ball on the court, like running well. I made some good points. I could have finished some maybe at the net, but didn’t manage to do it.

“In my opinion, he played much better than all the opponents I faced here before, and hence I lost. Not much more to add.”

The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion, who has claimed 20 tour-level titles, was asked to draw comparisons between the 21-year-old Alcaraz and the ‘Big Three’; Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“Carlos, I don’t think he has anything from them. It’s different game style,” Medvedev said. “I think where Carlos is different from many players, we all have a little bit of our preferences, someone prefers defence, someone prefers to counterattack, someone prefers to be super aggressive. He can do all of it.”

Holding a 33-10 season record and still searching for his first title since Rome last year, Medvedev turns his attention to the Paris Olympics, which begin 27 July.

“Here I’m going straightaway to play Olympics on clay. I don’t know how it’s going to be. It’s not going to be easy. I’m not going to have much preparation because I managed to do a good tournament here,” said Medvedev.

“I have no idea how I’m going to handle it, if I’m going to be in peace, angry, or something like this. But, look, it’s one tournament. I have my goals in my mind, doubles, mixed doubles is one of them, one of the big goals because, honestly speaking, I don’t think I’m the favorite to win in singles or even to get a medal, but I’m going to try. I’m going to go there, enjoy it, and try my best on clay and then on hard courts after.”

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Alcaraz set to lead Spanish sporting super Sunday… Just don’t tell the Wimbledon fans!

  • Posted: Jul 12, 2024

It was tight, but Carlos Alcaraz just about kept the Centre Court crowd onside during his post-match interview on Friday at Wimbledon.

After defeating Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals, Alcaraz discussed his upcoming second straight Wimbledon final appearance with on-court interviewer Annabelle Croft. Unprompted, the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings dropped in a reference to another highly anticipated sporting event set for Sunday: The Euro 2024 final between his home country Spain and Wimbledon host nation England.

“It’s going to be a really good day for Spanish people, with the Euro cup as well,” said Alcaraz, who was forced to quickly clarify his comments as the home crowd immediately delivered some light-hearted boos. “I didn’t say Spain is going to win! I just said it is going to be a really fun day.”

A keen football fan, Alcaraz was cheered on by a legend of the sport on Friday as he recovered from a difficult opening set to improve his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Medvedev to 5-2. Real Madrid star Luka Modric, who captained Croatia at Euro 2024, watched the semi-final from Alcaraz’s player box.

“Luka is a really nice person. We’ve met a couple of times,” revealed Alcaraz in his post-match press conference. “We spoke a few times and he wanted to come, and for sure I admire him. There’s always going to be a spot for him. Amazing guy, amazing athlete that I admire a lot. It’s great to have him in the box supporting.”

Appearing to have got away with just a yellow card from the crowd in the on-court interview, a relaxed Alcaraz was then asked about another sporting passion of his. The 21-year-old has spent some time away from the All England Club playing golf this fortnight and, while his ability off the tee does not quite match his tennis prowess, it has proven a vital source of off-court tranquillity for the defending champion.

“I’m so, so bad, compared to my tennis,” said Alcaraz. “I love playing golf. I’m not too good. I just find balls every time and can’t hit straight. It helps me a lot to turn off my mind a little bit, nothing to do with tennis, and relax a little bit. Tomorrow there is a huge percentage chance that I’m going to play golf, just to calm myself. I would say I love playing, but I’m not too good.”

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