Djokovic and Alcaraz offer up clash of the generations in Wimbledon final
Uppity youth versus grand old man: a brilliant backdrop for a Wimbledon final. It happened nearly 50 years ago when 39-year-old Ken Rosewall took on the American Jimmy Connors who was 18 years his junior.
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Connors annihilated Rosewall 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 to collect the first of his two Wimbledon titles and deprive the Australian of the only Grand Slam tournament crown missing from his trophy cabinet.
Chez Djokovic, 23 of those titles shine brightly. The 36-year-old Serb is the only player to have won at all four Grand Slam tournament venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York at leat three times.
Sunday afternoon will be his 35th major final and his ninth at Wimbledon. Only Andy Murray has defeated him once he reaches the last Sunday on Centre Court.
A tall order then for 20-year-old Alcaraz who advanced to his first final at Wimbledon with a straight sets victory over the third seed Daniil Medvedev.
"Well, it gives you extra motivation," said Alcaraz of his showdown with Djokovic. "I think it's more special to play final against a legend from our sport.
"If I win, it could be amazing for me – not only win a Wimbledon title but to do it against Novak would be super special.
Best
"I always say if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Novak is one of them."
Djokovic would, with a win, extend his record to 24 Grand Slam trophies – two more than Rafael Nadal – and also draw level with Roger Federer's mark of eight Wimbledon crowns. He would also emulate Federer and Bjorn Borg's feats of winning five on the trot.
"Well, it's no secret that the Grand Slams are the highest priority for me," said Djokovic. "Every time I start the season, I want to peak at these four tournaments.
"I try to organise my schedule, training schedule, and my preparation weeks, and all the tournaments, according to these priorities."
Faultless so far in 2023. In Melbourne, Djokovic mashed up Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets and Casper Ruud suffered the same fate in the French Open final in Paris last month.
Alcaraz, however, is not expected to disappear so quietly into Djokovic's legend.
"He has no weakness," said Alcaraz of the defending champion. "He's a really complete player. He's amazing. He does nothing wrong on the court. Physically he's a beast. Mentally he's a beast. Everything is unbelievable for him."
Calm
The reality of that monster discombobulated Alcaraz during their semi-final clash at the French Open in June.
The Spaniard admitted that the tension and pressure of facing Djokovic on such a grand stage and the physicality of the battle contributed to the cramps he suffered at the end of the second set.
Djokovic, perhaps sensing an opportunity to chisel open the wounds, spoke soberly on Friday night about the immensity of the impending final at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
He described Sunday afternoon as the ultimate showdown. "Everything comes down to one match, Djokovic added.
"All eyes of the tennis and sports world will be directed on this Wimbledon final. It's probably the most watched tennis match globally. I look forward to it."
And so he should.
The people who used to stop him – Federer, Rafael Nadal, Murray and Stan Wawrinka – are, in order, retired, injured or waning and the youngsters have been unable to outwit him.
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"Obviously you know that you're playing against the best player in the world at the moment, especially on grass," said 21-year-old Jannik Sinner after his semi-final loss to Djokovic.
"Obviously, if you think how big he is, you struggle. His mental side is very strong. Especially, in the important moments, he knows exactly how to play them. He's not going to give you something."
And Alcaraz will be prepared for that parsimony. And, he says, his own reactions to walking out onto Centre Court.
"Probably in the mental part I will do something different from the French Open to stay calm, to show that I'm not nervous," said Alcaraz.
"Some exercise in the mental part to stay calm and to forget – or I'll try to forget that I'm going to play a final against Novak."
A capacity crowd of nearly 15,000 people on Centre Court should soon remind Alcaraz of his task.
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