(Tennis news) With victories over Pedro Cachin (6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4)) and Jordan Thompson (6-3, 7-6(4), 7-5), Djokovic got the grass-court Major underway. Then, he beat Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(5), and Hubert Hurkacz 17th-seed 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.
With a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 victory over seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev, the Serb overcame a set deficit to advance to the semifinals where he will face eighth-seeded Jannik Sinner. He took control of the contest by winning the first two sets 6-3 and 6-4.
In the third set, the Italian fought valiantly and had a set point. However, Djokovic held on and forced a tie-break, which he won 7-4 to secure a spot in the championship round. The 36-year-old has played in 35 Grand Slam finals, more than any other tennis player, male or female, to date.
As the top seed into Wimbledon, Alcaraz defeated Jeremy Chardy with ease, winning 6-0, 6-2, and 7-5. He then defeated Alexandre Muller in three straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-3, to go to the third round.
The Spaniard defeated 25th seed Nicolas Jarry here 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 to advance to a match against Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round. He overcame a set deficit to beat the Italian with scores of 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, and advance to the quarterfinals.
In the round of eight, Alcaraz met sixth seed Holger Rune and defeated him 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 to get to the semifinals. He won this match 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 over third-seeded Daniil Medvedev to get to his first Wimbledon final.
Head-to-Head
Both teams are presently deadlocked 1-1 in their head-to-head matchup. Their most recent encounter took place in the French Open semifinals, when Djokovic prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Predictions
Djokovic will go into the game as the favourite because of his background and recent run of success. Alcaraz, on the other hand, has performed admirably on grass thus far this year and, at his best, might compete with the Serb.
Djokovic has been dominating Wimbledon so far with his first serve, dishing down 55 aces and winning 265 of 347 points (81.3%). He made 118 unforced errors in addition to 242 successful swings. The Serb’s overall game will undoubtedly be difficult to counter, but not as difficult as his mindset.
With 39 aces and 302 out of 388 (77.8%) points won on his first serves so far at Wimbledon 2023, Carlos Alcaraz has also been fairly successful. He has also served 23 double faults, so he must be careful not to serve too many of those in the championship match. The Spaniard has struck 208 winners so far compared to 183 unforced errors.
Carlos Alcaraz can always combine his powerful groundstrokes with his drop shots, and he might even need to do so more frequently to confuse Djokovic. His endurance and on-court agility will also be very helpful. However, if the Spaniard is to defeat Djokovic, his mental toughness will be more important than anything else.
Despite the Serb’s overwhelming performance, he might not have an easy time against Alcaraz. The Spaniard has the ability to make Djokovic’s life challenging. He might possibly hand the 36-year-old his first Wimbledon loss since 2013 if he can perform at his peak and avoid any fitness issues, like he did at the French Open. In that event, Alcaraz would have won his second Grand Slam championship.
Carlos Alcaraz to win in 5 sets (3-2)
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