At Wimbledon,
The duel between the master of the place and the game and the young prodigy, this Saturday in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon, could spark sparks and enter the legend of the legendary tournament, like the famous duels between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal between 2006 to 2009. Lovers of the beautiful game are asking for just that.
Of the last eight Grand Slam tournaments he has played after being disqualified at the US Open in 2020, the Serb has reached the final seven times and won six titles with 26 consecutive victories, current series. The insatiable is within reach of his 24th Grand Slam title which would allow him to equal the absolute record of Margaret Court. The “Djoker” can also win an eighth title on the London turf to equal Federer’s record and return to a length of the absolute record held by Martina Navratilova. The icing on the cake, if he wins this Sunday, he will take over the world No. 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz. It would then be the seventh change of the year between the two men.
The phenomenon reached the Wimbledon final at 20 years and two months, the fourth youngest in the history of the London tournament, behind the 17 years of Boris Becker in 1985, the 20 years of Björn Borg in 1976 and the 20 years and a month of Rafael Nadal in 2006. The German and the Swede had won from this first participation, not the Spaniard who had come up against Roger Federer. He also remains on a series of eleven consecutive victories on grass including his title at Queen’s before coming to Wimbledon where he had never passed the 1/8 finals. He dreams of a feat to clinch a second Grand Slam title after the US Open 2022.
May 7, 2022 is to be marked with a white stone. This is the date of their first semi-final clash in Madrid. A hell of a fight won by the kid from Murcia (6-7 [5], 7-5, 7-6 [5]) in 3:35. The long-awaited revenge at this same stage of the Roland-Garros competition came to an end in June, after the Spaniard suffered a calf cramp. After two intense sets, the Serb played against a very weak opponent (6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1). “This final is also a little revenge with myself. I hope not to have any cramps in the final. I think Sunday it will be better, ”says the Spaniard. “It was a great match in Paris until he started to suffer physically, slipping on his side Djokovic. The level was very high. The conditions are completely different here. “In the kingdom of Djokovic, Alcaraz will not, at least, have to wear the label of favorite that he had in Paris.
With only one set lost, in the third round against Nicolas Jarry, then another against Matteo Berrettini in the round of 16, Carlos Alcaraz managed his London adventure well. Just like the 36-year-old Serb, who also only conceded two sets, in the round of 16 against Hubert Hurkacz and in the quarter-finals against Andrey Rublev.
The Spaniard’s aggressive game is more in place than ever, and his serve has improved even more, not to mention his diabolical drop shots and his quite remarkable quality of return. His footwork and his quickness of movement are also impressive on this surface that he almost discovers. Qualities that could disrupt the Djokovic machine. The latter is running at full speed. Like never. The incredible defender has never been so effective on serve. And his forehand looks even better than ten years ago. It remains to be seen how the prodigy will emotionally manage his reunion with Djokovic. The latter is playing his 35th Major final, Alcaraz his second, his first at Wimbledon. Level experience, it is obviously a chasm that separates the two men. With the match format in five sets that he likes and the immense confidence in his ability to not let go, it is hard to imagine the Serb breaking down mentally or physically. It will take a huge Carlitos and an average Djokovic. A success for the Spaniard would surely be one of the greatest feats in tennis.
Carlos Alcaraz: “If I win, it would be amazing: not only to win Wimbledon, but also against Novak. But as I always say, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Novak has no weak point, he is really complete. He is incredible. He doesn’t do anything wrong on the court. Physically, he’s a beast. Mentally, he’s also a beast. I will try to shake off my nervousness and enjoy the moment. I feel a bit more experienced. To play a final here at Wimbledon, I dreamed of it when I started playing tennis. It will be an emotional moment for me. But I’ll try to stay calm. For Novak, it’s one of those extra days, those extra moments. For me, it will be, I think, the best moment of my life. But don’t be afraid…”
Novak Djokovic: “It’s definitely the final that most people have been waiting for since the start of the tournament. He is very young, but already extremely consistent, even on grass now. I don’t think many people expected him to play so well on this surface, because his game was built and developed on clay or slower hard courts. But he has this ability to adapt to the surfaces and the challenges offered to him by his opponents. It’s a great quality, it’s been one of my great strengths throughout my career. He does it very early in his life. Kudos to him. He’s an incredible player, a great guy off the court. He is one of the fastest players on the circuit. He can do everything on a court. I have more experience than him in Grand Slam finals but he is in great shape, very motivated. He is young and he is hungry. I’m hungry too. Let’s taste!”
