For all talk of Young Turks ready to make an impact at the major tournaments, this fortnight at The Championships has shown, yet again, how pedigree matters on grass. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the men’s singles final at the Centre Court, SW 19, London, where there will be a repeat of the 2023 final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic from 6:30pm (IST) on Sunday.
Was this the prediction before and after the Wimbledon draw was made? Was this the script written, based purely on seedings? No, certainly not, for Jannik Sinner, who will still be World No.1 when the rankings come out on Monday, fell by the wayside at Wimbledon and so did a few others like Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev and, of course, Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
It was on July 16, 2023 that Alcaraz won a historic title on grass at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, outslugging Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 after four hours and 42 minutes, the third-longest Wimbledon final in history. There have been a few repeat finals in the past at Wimbledon, but for sheer entertainment value, this one will grab eyeballs. Mind you, later on Sunday, there will be another historic final, Spain versus England at Euro 2024, so both these tennis artists would perhaps want to wrap up a bit early. Alcaraz has already announced that Sunday will be the day for Spain. Yes, he is backing the football team as well as himself. But then, if he thinks the grand old man, Djokovic, now 37, will be a pushover, that may be presumptuous.
Youth and fitness are on Alcaraz’s side and the 16-year age gap means he will be stronger in the final against the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles. But then, if one goes by how Djokovic has shown that not even knee surgery can kill his ambitions, this promises to be a fight to the finish.
Rewind to the French Open, where so many things went wrong for all the players. Unseasonal rains hit the scheduling, and matches were being played at 3am local time with the roof rolled over in Paris. Mercifully, Wimbledon still respects some traditions and a 2pm start means the players will be prepared as to what to expect.
What could go in Alcaraz’s favour is a packed Centre Court, where genuine fans and the crème de la crème will witness a historic final. The way fans at Centre Court have booed Djokovic, it makes you wonder if this is Wimbledon, well-known for manners and etiquette. Tennis fans are not supposed to behave like football’s lager louts.
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But the more people rile and ridicule Djokovic, the more he is likely to soak it up and play his best tennis. If anything, he feeds on such negative energy, something well-explained by John McEnroe. He is chasing big history. If he wins, it will be a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and a landmark-shattering 25th Grand Slam. However much a section of fans loathe Djokovic, he will try his best to tame Alcaraz.
What does one say about Alcaraz, who has learned how to master all surfaces, grass included? His willingness to attack the net and break the rhythm has caught the eye. After all, Spaniards have traditionally been baseline exponents, though the tennis which Alcaraz unveiled in the French Open final this year was different.
At the press conference on Friday night, Djokovic spoke of how he prepared for Wimbledon 2024. “I was really focused on, you know, trying to make Wimbledon happen for me this year,” he said. “And I was not reckless. ‘Reckless’ means I was going against the medical experts that were leading the rehab process. And I was never against that. I never pushed anything. So, once we started rehab, I followed every single day everything that they said that I have to do.
“I did even more than that, I think, in terms of trying to make an effort for a Wimbledon comeback. They were aware of it. But we agreed that we will not talk about my guaranteed Wimbledon participation until three, four days before the tournament starts.”
On the challenge of playing on clay in Paris and then on grass in London, Alcaraz was forthright. “Yeah, it’s difficult, I’m not going to lie, switching from clay to grass,” he said. “Everybody could watch it at Queen’s that I didn’t play well. I have a lot of work to do. Yeah, I decided to stay there because of that, because I need hours on grass and practice on grass just to be better, try to feel most comfortable as I can.”
If he can see off Djokovic again, the changing of the guard in men’s tennis really will be complete.
Also Read: Once again, Alcaraz versus Djokovic in Sunday’s Wimbledon final