Bruno Cuaz with AFP / Photo credit: JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
Novak Djokovic holds his 24th Grand Slam title within reach, which would allow him to equal Margaret Court’s absolute record and now only world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz can deprive him of it on Sunday at Wimbledon. “My ambition is still at its highest: I still want to win the title,” announces the 36-year-old Serb, still delighted to show the younger generation that he is still the man to beat.
“I’m not afraid. I feel in my place and I want to show that I belong,” said the 20-year-old Spaniard in return. On paper, the match is very unbalanced since Alcaraz is aiming for a first title at Wimbledon on a surface, grass, which he has mastered for … a few days.
Opposite, Djokovic is undefeated on the Center Court of the Temple of Tennis for ten years and his defeat in the final against Andy Murray in 2013. The Serb is more generally undefeated at Wimbledon since his defeat in the quarter-finals in 2017 and is therefore aiming for a 35th victory in a row for a fifth consecutive title which would equal the record series of Björn Borg (1976-1980) and Roger Federer (2003-2007). 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.
N.1 Monday
Not to mention that the winner will be world No.1 on Monday. Alcaraz would live his 29th week at the top of the pyramid, Djokovic his 390th (another record). In these conditions, “perhaps he will have a little more pressure than in Paris, but as usual, he will master it”, estimated the Spaniard about his opponent, in reference to their previous confrontation in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros where the youngster had physically bent under the pressure of the former, finding himself crippled with cramps at the end of the second set.
This time, the confrontation between the two best players on the circuit closes the most legendary of tournaments in fireworks. But instead of being played on the favorite ground of Alcaraz, it will be played on grass where the Serb is “virtually unbeatable”, in the words of his rival. “It will be revenge against myself, also a personal struggle to see if I learned from the Roland-Garros semi-final,” said the Spaniard, acknowledging however that for him, this match would be “monumental”.
Believing he was “brilliant” against Daniil Medvedev in the semis, he said: “I think I can beat Djokovic here (at Wimbledon).” His level of confidence is also based 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. But the last of Alcaraz’s twelve works on grass this season promises to be prodigiously complicated in the face of a “legend”.
“Feast”
“He doesn’t do anything wrong on the court. Physically, he’s a monster. Mentally, he’s a monster. Everything about him is incredible,” he admits. For his part, Djokovic displays the serenity of the champion accustomed to these moments, who has beaten everyone, everywhere, and who knows how to manage pressure “always very strong”. “I will approach my final as if it were the first. The job will only be finished when I lift the trophy… I hope”, warns the Djoker.
“I absolutely want to win this title, and it (Alcaraz) represents the biggest difficulty for me at the moment, from all points of view: physical, mental, emotional”, he admits. “Yes, I have more experience, I have played a lot more Grand Slam and Wimbledon finals than him, explains Djokovic. But he is in great shape, he is motivated, he is young and he is hungry. I’m hungry too… so let the feast begin!”