Who will win the generational duel in the dream final?
It’s the dream final par excellence! In the run-up to Wimbledon 2023, all neutral tennis fans were already wishing for a final between world number one Carlos Alcaraz and 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. On Sunday afternoon, the time finally came. On the now heavily worn Centre Court on Church Road, it will be a generational duel between the two currently best tennis players in the world by far, separated by a whopping 16 (!) years.
The best bookmakers currently believe that the old champion from Serbia will have the upper hand and celebrate his third Grand Slam title this season and his eighth triumph on the sacred turf in London. If you want to agree with this opinion, you can currently find odds of just over 1.50 on the defending champion ahead of the eagerly awaited dream final Alcaraz vs.
The Spanish youngster will not be without a chance, though. A player who defeats a certain Daniil Medvedev 3:0 in the semi-finals, who has only dropped two sets in the entire tournament and who has already proven several times in the past that he can/will penetrate the phalanx of the greats, is simply looking forward to the biggest possible tennis stage at the most prestigious as well as most traditional Grand Slam of the year. Many experts therefore dare to predict a long and even match between Alcaraz and Djokovic. We only share this assessment to a limited extent…
Carlos Alcaraz – Statistics & current form
Before this season, Carlos Alcaraz had just four successful matches on grass. In 2021, the Spaniard failed in the second round of Wimbledon, while in 2022 he reached the last 16. This year, the 20-year-old talent of the century is still completely unbeaten on the green surface. Carlito won the preparatory tournament in Queens and extended his streak to eleven wins in a row thanks to six victories at Church Road so far.
The right-hander’s confidence is at boiling point and after last season’s US Open success, the current world number one will be looking to claim his second Grand Slam title on Sunday afternoon in London. In a way, the protégé of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero might even be aiming to advance the changing of the guard in world tennis. Many insiders, however, are already certain that Alcaraz will leave his mark on the ATP circuit for the next decade.
Is Djokovic still out of his league on grass?
The 1.85 metre tall and agile Andalusian regularly provides proof of this. In the semi-finals, the 20-year-old once again underlined his outstanding potential. Against Daniil Medvedev, ranked third in the world, Alcaraz won in three sets and deserved his first Wimbledon final all along the line.
Despite the absolutely justified adulation, it should not be neglected that neither Medvedev nor Rune played their best tennis in the quarter-finals and would definitely not call grass their favourite surface. That will change abruptly on Sunday, when the best grass court player in the world, the seven-time Wimbledon champion from Belgrade, will be waiting.
All in all, it is therefore understandable in our eyes that Alcaraz is only considered an outsider against Djokovic according to the odds. All the strengths that the Spaniard will throw into the ring can be neutralised by his Serbian opponent. The experience advantage in such a big final as well as Nole’s serving strength could ultimately swing the pendulum in the direction of the world number two.
Novak Djoković – Statistics & current form
Novak Djokovic remains a phenomenon. 23 Grand Slam victories, 389 weeks at the top of the world rankings and six titles at the ATP Finals are just a few of the sensational records that have long since secured the Serb a place among the elite circle of the best tennis players of all time. Despite his 36 years of age, the man from Belgrade is still driven by motivation and ambition. He wants to set and break more records.
Roger Federer’s record at Wimbledon is particularly important to him in this context. The Swiss legend has won the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament at the All England Tennis Club eight times. Nole currently has seven triumphs and could equal that on Sunday. If we believe the odds before the Alcaraz vs. Djokovic final, then the chances for the old champion are very good.
Djokovic’s crazy stats at Wimbledon
No wonder, as the Djoker has won the last four editions of the Wimbledon Championships, lost his last Grand Slam match on grass in 2017 and suffered his last defeat on Centre Court at Church Road ten years ago. So it takes a lot of imagination to place a bet against the world number one, especially as the theme of experience and nerves of steel will naturally come up in this generational duel.
For Djokovic, Grand Slam finals are nothing special anymore. With his box behind him, he will approach the task with the necessary calm. Exactly this relaxedness as well as the self-conception are certainly factors that steer the prognosis between Djokovic and Alcaraz more in the direction of the Serb.
In his previous matches against Hurkacz, Rublev or Sinner, Nole was also on the spot at the important moments, did not dominate his opponents at will, but knew exactly when his opponent was weakening and then struck. If the 23-time Grand Slam winner plays close to his best tennis on Sunday, we believe in an eighth Wimbledon triumph and would ultimately not even be surprised if the victory ends up being a relatively clear 3-0 or 3-1.
Carlos Alcaraz – Novak Djoković Direct comparison / H2H record
Two matches have been played between the two superstars so far. In 2022, Carlos Alcaraz prevailed in three tight sets at the Masters on clay in Madrid. Djokovic took revenge in the semi-finals of the French Open a few weeks ago, but benefited in the five-set win from a battered Spaniard, who was no longer able to play at eye level due to injury, but had previously caused the grandmaster enormous problems. Now the two are dueling on grass for the first time, which should be a relatively clear advantage for Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz – Novak Djoković Tip
One of the biggest highlights of the sporting summer awaits us on Sunday afternoon. It is definitely not an exaggeration to speak of perhaps the most important, most interesting and most exciting tennis match this decade. It is a generation duel, it is the clash between the world number one and the world number two and, finally, it is the encounter between the two best tennis players on the tour by far.
Many experts believe the young Spaniard will pull off a surprise coup against the experienced Serb. We, on the other hand, tend to go with the opinion of the bookmakers, who see the 36-year-old in front. Nole is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, has won almost 40 matches in a row at Church Road, has not lost on Centre Court for ten years and last lost a grass-court match at a Grand Slam in 2017. Rightly so, lower betting odds are being offered on the 23-time Grand Slam winner in the Alcaraz vs Djokovic clash.
Aggravating for the Andalusian is the fact that his opponent, who is 16 years older than him, can naturally bring more experience to the table and plays his best tennis in the decisive moments like no other athlete on the ATP Tour. We therefore believe in the eighth Wimbledon triumph of the record winner from Belgrade and would also play a corresponding bet on the two-way market.
Even more interesting in our eyes, however, is the Djokovic vs. Alcaraz tip that no more than 40 games will be played
