Hello and welcome to coverage of the Wimbledon men’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
This showdown has everything it needs to be an all-time classic tennis match. Djokovic, the defending champion, is aiming to win a record-equalling eighth men’s title, remain on track for a calendar grand slam and return to the summit of the world rankings.
Alcaraz is looking to claim a second major title, retain the world No 1 ranking and solidify his status as the present and future of men’s tennis. The two players met at the semi-final stage of the French Open last month with Alcaraz losing in four sets after struggling with cramp.
Djokovic, who has won six of the last eight grand slams, believes peaking for the majors has been the key to his success.
“It’s no secret that Grand Slams are the highest priority for me, the highest goals on my priority list,” he said. “Every time I start the season, I want to peak at these four tournaments. I try to organize my schedule, training schedule, and my preparation weeks, and all the tournaments, according to these priorities.
“All the tournaments that I play are basically leading me up to Grand Slam. I’m really glad that this year, actually last several years, my Grand Slam seasons are amazing. The results are fantastic. I have a good team of people around me. We do things in a proper way on a daily basis. I think that gives us benefits when we get to the later stages of a Grand Slam. Most of the players are probably exhausted a bit physically, mentally, or maybe they don’t feel like they can go a step further. But for me, I feel that the job is not finished until I lift the trophy – hopefully – and play in the finals of a Grand Slam.”
For Alcaraz, he is confident that the nerves felt against Djokovic in Paris, won’t be an issue today.
“I [will] try to pull out all nerves, try to enjoy that moment ‘cause probably in the semifinal at the French Open I didn’t enjoy at all in the first set probably,” he said.
“I’ll do something different from the match. I prepare [for] the match a little bit different from French Open. It’s going to be different for me. I hope not to get cramp during the final. I think I’ll be better on Sunday.”