Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to end Novak Djokovic’s reign in the Wimbledon men’s final today in a battle of youth against experience for the SW19 crown. The final features the widest age gap between two men’s grand slam finalists in 48 years, and the young Spaniard is faced with the toughest challenge in tennis; Djokovic has won 34 consecutive matches at Wimbledon, he has not lost at the tournament since 2017, and not on Centre Court since 2013.
Having won the US Open final last year to claim his first major title at the age of just 19, Alcaraz now stands on the precipice of a victory that would truly announce the Spaniard as the next great player in the sport.
His win in New York came only 18 months after Alcaraz made his tour debut, and it made him the youngest ever men’s world No 1. Adding Wimbledon, which would see Alcaraz become the first men’s champion at the All England Club outside of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray since 2002, would signify Alcaraz as a worthy successor as he begins to follow in their illustrious footsteps.
Alcaraz is still only 20, and he had never reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon until he overcame former runner-up Matteo Berrettini this week, setting up a last-eight clash with Holger Rune, which Alcaraz won in straight sets. Alcaraz then dispatched Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to reach his fiirst Wimbledon final, on what is just his fourth tournament on grass.
Alcaraz, who grew up in El Parmar in Murcia, is a Spanish rarity as a right-handed player, and he has won a total of 11 tour-level titles, including his US Open crown and four Masters successes. His Miami (2022) and Madrid Masters (2023) titles mark him out as the youngest champion at both tournaments.
The Spaniard’s game is characterised by aggressive baseline play, and he has quickly become known for his athleticism and his daring and inventive shot-making. In his four-set win against Berrettini his week, for example, Alcaraz pulled off a stunning winner around the net post. He also possesses one of the most effective drop shots in the sport.
Alcaraz has also been compared to a young Rafael Nadal, and the 22-time slam champion said of his compatriot after a clash in 2022: “When his adrenaline goes up, he’s practically unstoppable.” Alcaraz may appear to be a right-handed reincarnation of Nadal, who was his idol growing up in Murcia, but he says his game is more like Roger Federer’s.
The youngster is also driven by the words of his grandfather and the three Cs: cabeza, corazón, cojones– head, heart and balls – and he had “CCC” tattooed on his arm after winning the US Open in September.
Earlier this week, Alcaraz was forced to respond to reports that his father Carlos, a regular member of his entourage, recorded Novak Djokovic – who he is seeded to meet in the final – while the seven-time champion was training at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park. “Oh, probably it is true,” said the world No 1. “My father is a huge fan of tennis. He doesn’t only watch my matches. I think he gets into the club at 11am, gets out at 10pm, watching matches, watching practice from everyone. Being able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he’s filmed the sessions. I don’t think [it will give me an advantage]. I mean, I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform. I think it’s not an advantage for me.”
Now, the dream final has been set. After two weeks, the two best players in the world will meet for the Wimbledon title.
“Playing a final here in Wimbledon is something that I dream about when I start playing tennis,” Alcaraz revealed after his win against Medvedev. “As I said before, it’s even better playing against Novak.
“It’s going to be a really emotional moment for me. But I’ll try to stay calm in that moment. For Novak is one more day, one more moment. For me, it’s going to be the best moment of my life I think.
“It gives you extra motivation [to play Djokovic]. I think it’s more special to play final against a legend from our sport. Well, if I win, it could be amazing for me - not only win a Wimbledon title but do it against Novak would be super special.
