Djokovic on Alcaraz: “I see a lot of similarities between us” | ATP Tour

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Djokovic on Alcaraz: “I see a lot of similarities between us”

The Serbian will play the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final

July 12, 2024

Novak Djokovic will be looking for revenge on Sunday when he faces Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final. But he knows the challenge won’t be easy, even though he will go into the match leading the Lexus ATP HeadToHead between the two 3-2, and with much more experience at these stages and on this surface.

“I think he surprised us all last year with the way he played at Queen’s and Wimbledon, which he won back to back,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz. “None of his Grand Slam wins were as surprising as Wimbledon. The way he has moved and played in the last two years on grass has been fantastic to watch.”

The Serb, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in Friday’s semi-finals, admits he sees himself in the 21-year-old Spaniard, who beat the world No. 2 in five sets in last year’s final.

“I see a lot of similarities between him and me in terms of the ability to adapt and adjust to the surface. I think that is probably his most important characteristic, that he has the skills to play equally well on any surface and to adapt to a given opponent on that particular day.”

When Djokovic takes to the court on Sunday, he will be aiming for his eighth title at The Championships, equalling Roger Federer’s record.

“Obviously, I am aware that Roger has eight Wimbledon titles. I have seven. History is at stake. Also a potential 25th Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it is also a lot of pressure and expectations. Every time I go on court now, even though I am 37 and competing with 21-year-olds, I still expect to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, no matter what, 99 percent of the matches I play.”

Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon after undergoing knee surgery in early June. The second seed has navigated his way through his five matches at the grass-court tournament, dropping just two sets to reach his 10th Wimbledon final.

The 37-year-old tennis player is relieved by the way his knee has performed over the past two weeks.

“I wasn’t sure until three or four days before the tournament if I was going to participate. I made an extra effort to recover as quickly as possible simply because it was Wimbledon,” Djokovic said. “So I’m very, very happy to make it to the final because I wasn’t thinking about it.” [eso] in the first few games. I was just thinking about moving well, not getting injured and feeling freer to express my movements.”

“That’s what happened, I think, in the third and particularly in the fourth round. I’ve felt like I’ve been playing close to my best level and I can have a chance to win the title,” added ‘Nole’, who will try to win his 99th Tour champion trophy and the first of 2024.