You wait over a year for a meeting between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, then two come along at once. A month after Alcaraz was so overcome by nerves against Djokovic at Roland Garros that his body became riddled by cramp, the pair will lock horns again on Sunday afternoon with the Wimbledon title on the line.
To judge from the emphatic manner in which the Spanish world No 1 prevailed in his semi-final against Daniil Medvedev, things will be different this time. How different remains to be seen. To beat Djokovic on Centre Court, where he has not lost a match for a decade, remains one of the toughest challenges in the sport, up there alongside facing Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier or, for that matter, Djokovic in Rod Laver Arena. Yet there has been an intent and efficiency about Alcaraz’s performances at this Wimbledon that bodes well for his assault on the Serb’s Centre Court citadel.
The Spaniard’s shot-making has been as bold and beautiful as ever. The trademark combination of ferocity and finesse was in full flow against Medvedev, Alcaraz alternating thunderbolt forehands with rhythm-disrupting slices, dinks and drop shots that left the 6ft 6in Russian in full-blown octopus mode. Stretching wide to retrieve bullets one moment, bending low to dig out daisy-cutters the next, Medvedev must have felt as though he was trapped in a tennis torture chamber.
Yet everything Alcaraz did, he did with purpose – and that is very Djokovic. The speed at which his grass-court game has evolved over the past four weeks, as he has adapted his movement and stroke-play to the demands of a surface on which he had previously played just six matches in his life, has been no less prodigious than any other aspect of his development. At Queen’s, that accelerated progress carried the 20-year-old to his first title on grass at only his third attempt; at Wimbledon, it has seen him advance through the rounds with a more clinical edge than we are accustomed to seeing from him.
Alcaraz’s progress has been akin to that of Cristiano Ronaldo in his early years at Manchester United. There has been a more purposeful marshalling of his talents; fewer stepovers and flicks merely for the sake of it, as it were, and more discipline.
“Against someone like Carlos, Novak, Rafa [Nadal], you need to be at your best,” said Medvedev. “Maybe against other guys you can be playing not bad, you’re going to have your chances, during the match you’re going to find something to work with.
“With Carlos, you need to be at your absolute best and that’s how you can win. Unfortunately, I was not.”
Djokovic, of course, a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) winner over Jannik Sinner in the first semi-final, is a different beast. He is rarely far from his best on Centre Court, least of all in a Wimbledon final, a stage he has now reached for a fifth year in a row and a ninth time in all. As ever where the 36-year-old is concerned, history will be on the line. A fifth straight title would see him match the men’s record for consecutive wins currently shared by Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. An eighth win in total would also equal Federer’s all-time men’s record of eight titles, usurp the Swiss as Wimbledon’s oldest champion, and haul him level with Margaret Court’s tally of 24 majors.
“I think it’s more special to play a final against a legend from our sport,” said Alcaraz. “If I win, it could be amazing for me – [to] not only win a Wimbledon title, but [to] do it against Novak, would be super special.
“I always say if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Novak is one of them. It would be great if I can do it.”
While those are sound sentiments, Alcaraz’s choice of words also hinted at a respect for Djokovic that perhaps remains just the wrong side of reverence. There’s a reason schoolteachers often address pupils by their surnames, and it’s not because they want to make friends. You will rarely hear Djokovic refer to Nadal by his given name, for the simple reason that the Spaniard has traditionally been his greatest rival – an opponent to be beaten, not a buddy to be embraced. If Alcaraz is to win Wimbledon, a little less “Novak” and a little more “Djokovic” may be required. Perhaps that is a mentality that the Spaniard’s psychologist, Isabel Balaguer, will be eager to impress on him.
“She help me a lot,” said Alcaraz. “I will talk with her about how to prepare the match, that important moment for me, that is not going to be easy.”
Alcaraz is alive to the magnitude of the occasion. He has achieved a great deal in a short time. We shall see if it is enough.