Tennis

Alcaraz vs Djokovic – How Can the Prince Dethrone the King Today?

The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. It’s time to witness what could well be a ‘generation game’ between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Of course, I am referencing the Wimbledon men’s singles final here, and it should be a truly awesome match to watch. And for those who are interested, we have our own Alcaraz vs Djokovic prediction – along with suggested betting markets if you wish to take a punt.

Anyway, coming back to the upcoming match, there are many who claim that Alcaraz simply has no chance against the long-standing King of Wimbledon. But is that really the case? Sure, Alcaraz has nowhere near the grass court experience of Novak Djokovic, and grass hasn’t been his preferred surface compared to clay or hard. Yet when you are just that good, you will always have a chance against any guy across the net – even if that guy has won the title 7 times.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic

With this in mind, there are some very specific things that Alcaraz must achieve if he is to give himself any chance at all in the Wimbledon final. And when I say ‘a chance’, I mean this in the truest sense of the word. Even if he does all three things mentioned below to the best of his ability, the odds are still stacked against him when taking on arguably the greatest of all time.

Djokovic vs Alcaraz – Three Critical Elements That Must Go Right for ‘Carlitos’ to Have a Chance

Going into this match, the head-to-head with these guys stands at 1-1. As you might recall, Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the Roland Garros semi-final a little over a month ago. Yet prior to that, Alcaraz defeated Djokovic at the Madrid Open Masters event in 2022. Both of these games were on clay, however, so we probably can’t read too much into such games in terms of their influence over the upcoming final. 

So rather than focus on previous matches, let’s focus on what Alcaraz can control on his side of the net today. On that note, and without further ado, let me reveal the three things Alcaraz must achieve today if he is to have a chance of becoming Wimbledon champion.

A Fast Start

Given how well Djokovic tends to perform when he is ahead in matches, a fast start is absolutely critical for Carlos Alcaraz. Since this is also a Grand Slam final, if he does get off to a fast start, he may just unsettle the Serb and throw him off his game. Then again, we are talking about Novak Djokovic here. So even though he is a great front-runner, arguably, he is even better when his back is against the wall. 

But nevertheless, Alcaraz must start quickly to get himself into the match, and ideally, he needs to win the opening set.

First Serve Must Be on Point

While a fast start is of the utmost importance today, I feel that his serve is a key area that he must also control. Of course, the serve is always important in men’s tennis, which is why breaks of serve are such big moments in any game. However, when you are serving against pretty much the greatest returner of all time, the emphasis on serving well is heightened. Just look at the Hurkacz vs Djokovic game in the 4th round if you need any confirmation of just how important this will be for Carlos Alcaraz.

When Hubert Hurkacz faced Djokovic in this match, he served at 73% on his first serve, he hit a total of 33 aces, yet he still lost in 4 sets. This was one of the best serving performances I’ve seen in recent times, yet Djokovic still broke him down to secure a relatively comfortable win. Therefore, given that Alcaraz doesn’t serve as big as Hurkacz, he might need to serve even better to keep the pressure on Djokovic today.

Must Take Chances When Given

The third and final element is one that all tennis players would love to do. Yet when it comes down to a Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, this isn’t just a target, it’s an absolute ‘must’ for Carlos Alcaraz. I have chosen this area as it’s something that any player has to do against Djokovic to damage the armor of the Serb, so to speak. After all, Djokovic plays the big points much better than pretty much anyone on tour. 

But if Alcaraz can snatch a break point or two, or even make it count should any set go to a breaker, he will at least give himself a shot of winning.


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