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Novak Djokovic can’t wait to face Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon final.
Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in his first semi-final on Friday, July 14. Later, Alcaraz dispatched Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in their last four matches. Clash to set up a title clash with the Serb.
Looking forward to Sunday’s championship game, Djokovic stated in his post-match press conference that this was the most anticipated final lineup of all, including himself and Alcaraz.
“This is probably the most anticipated final since the inception of the tournament, by most of the fans. I am Alcaraz… It will be his first final at Wimbledon,” he said.
The two recently met in the 2023 French Open final, where they were engaged in an intense battle when Alcaraz began to fray with nerves and lost the match in four sets. Looking at the Paris match, Djokovic acknowledged they were locked in an even battle until the Spaniard’s physical problems.
Despite the disparity in conditions from the Roland Garros match to the grass at Wimbledon, Djokovic predicted they would go into the Entry Match because both players were well motivated to win the title.
“We played a very good game until he started to struggle physically in Paris. I think we really raised the bar of tennis very high. I think it was great for the fans and great for us players to be a part of that,” he said.
“Obviously the conditions are very different here. Grass is very different from clay. Yes, I have more experience playing in Grand Slam finals or Wimbledon than he does. He’s still in good shape. He’s very excited. He’s young. He’s hungry. I smiled and added, “I’m hungry too, let us feast.”
“I see this as a great quality and a great virtue” – Novak Djokovic on Carlos Alcaraz’s ability to adapt to different surfaces
Carlos Alcaraz entered Wimbledon 2023 with doubts about his ability to play at his best on grass. While the youngster showed his prowess on hard courts and clay,
Prior to this year, Alcaraz had never progressed past the Round of 16 in SW19. He has previously spoken of needing to learn how to adapt his pace and technique to grass courts.
With his run in the grassland major final this year, Novak Djokovic believes the Spaniard has shown he can adapt well to various surfaces.
“He’s very young, but he’s incredibly consistent now, also on grass. Which I don’t think a lot of people expected him to play very well because his game is basically, yeah, built and built and developed for clay courts mostly or slower. But he is He’s incredibly successful at adapting to the surfaces and the demands and challenges of opponents on a given day.”
“I see that as a great trait, a great virtue. I see this as one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, being able to constantly develop, adapt and adjust my game depending on challenges mainly. That’s what it is so early in his career.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion also mentioned Alcaraz and he were the best players, based on their performance this week, to compete for the Wimbledon title this year.
“I think given the performances we’ve seen from all the players, I think this is probably the best final we can have. We’re both in good shape. We’re both playing well,” he said.
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