It’s one of the most exhilarating match-ups in the world of sports right now, between the legendary and the ageless, Novak Djokovic, who at 36 feels like a new 26 having years of experience behind him versus, the most dynamic and charismatic player of the next-gen, Carlos Alcaraz, who at 20 years has been hailed as the future of men’s tennis.
Novak Djokovic holds the record for the highest no. of Grand Slams, while Carlos Alcaraz, the newly crowned world no. 1, already won his first Grand Slam at the US Open last year. As per tennis pundits, they are the two best players in men’s tennis right now, which makes their clash the most intriguing to watch, when they play for the elite trophies.
Last time Alcaraz and Djokovic met, Carlos hit the shot of the YEAR 🍿
More of this tomorrow, guys 🙏pic.twitter.com/10Y38213ne
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) July 15, 2023
Daqui q pouco tem final em #Wimbledon 🎾
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic x Carlos Alcaraz 🇪🇸
Alcaraz atual número 1 do ranking chega a final de Wimbledon pela 1ª vez!
Djoko está em busca de seu 8º título em Wimbledon, sendo o 5º consecutivo.
Faça já sua aposta! https://t.co/dlXEojAW1P pic.twitter.com/axhxLYaUZZ
— Apostaganha.bet (@apostaganhabet_) July 16, 2023
If anything you need to know from this match is that how easily Djokovic is going to break him mentally whenever Alcaraz closes the gap tmrw https://t.co/5o7MsyEXkc
— Bilal (@_SyedBilal) July 15, 2023
It was only last month that they played in the semi-finals of the French Open. It was one of the most anticipated matches that lived up to its billing until the third set when Alcaraz started to experience severe cramps and eventually lost the match.
However, the fans were awe-struck by some exquisite shot-making from both in the first two sets. One of the shots by Alcaraz was hailed as the shot of the year!!
How many times did Carlos Alcaraz face Novak Djokovic?
They have played only two matches to date on clay, which were split. Their first encounter happened in 2022 in Madrid Masters 1000, when an unstoppable Alcaraz was on the best winning streak of his career, winning in 3 grueling sets. Alcaraz played the match at a blitzkrieg pace with powerful shot-making that Novak wasn’t able to cope with.
Djokovic quickly avenged his loss in their next meeting, which happened only one year later at the semi-finals of the French Open. The match was marred by an unexpected injury to Alcaraz in the third set that led to his downfall. However, it appeared that Novak was better prepared mentally and remained focused throughout the match, unfazed by the daunting task of facing Alcaraz on his favorite surface.
In their lead-up to the Wimbledon 2023 Final, Djokovic has a 27-4 (87%) winning record in his year-to-date matches, lifting 3 trophies, versus Alcaraz, who has a 40-4 (91% ) winning record and has lifted 5 titles this year.