Alcaraz impressive so far at Wimbledon, but Djokovic a different test

Carlos Alcaraz is playing just his fourth tournament ever on grass. He made his debut on the surface at Wimbledon in 2021, also played nothing more than Wimbledon during the grass-court swing in 2022, and warmed up with a Queen’s Club appearance in 2023.

It’s safe to say he is a quick learner.

Following a second-round exit two years ago (lost to Daniil Medvedev) and a fourth-round loss last summer (to Jannik Sinner), Alcaraz is undefeated on grass in 2023. He captured the Queen’s Club title and that sent him off to the races in SW19, where he has defeated Jeremy Chardy, Alexandre Muller, Nicolas Jarry, Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune, and Medvedev. The 20-year-old was especially impressive in the quarterfinals and semis, beating Rune 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4 and destroying Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. He also won sets two through four against Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Alcaraz’s reward is another shot at Novak Djokovic, with whom he split the first two sets of their recent French Open semifinal showdown only to suffer from cramps and drop the next two 6-1, 6-1.

“We had a very good match until he started struggling physically in Paris,” the 36-year-old Serb reflected. “I think we really took the level of tennis very high. I think was great for the audience and great for us players to be part of that.

“Obviously completely different conditions here. Grass is massively different from clay. Yes, I do have more experience playing in many more Grand Slam or Wimbledon finals than him. Still he’s in great shape. He’s very motivated. He’s young. He’s hungry…. It’s going to be a great challenge, greatest challenge that I could have at the moment from any angle really: physical, mental, emotional. He’s one of the quickest guys on the tour. He can do pretty much anything on the court. I consider myself also very complete player….

“Judging by the performances that we have seen from all the players, I think this is probably the best finals that we could have.”

There is no question that Djokovic belongs. He has won four Wimbledons in a row and 23 major titles overall. Following titles this season at the Australian Open and French Open plus six more match wins in London, Djokovic is eight victories away from the calendar-year Grand Slam.

“Being the guy he is right now, everything he has [accomplished] is amazing,” Alcaraz praised. “As I said before, he has no weakness. He’s really complete guy; 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.

“I think it’s a mix of everything that I admire (about) him the most.”

If Sunday’s final is as good on the court as it sounded in the press room, we’re in for a treat.

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