Carlos Alcaraz is going to contest his first-ever Wimbledon final and it will be against possibly the most difficult opponent of them all.
Only one man won the Wimbledon title more times than Novak Djokovic, and his name is Roger Federer. However, since the Swiss Maestro is currently retired, the Serb is the most dominant active ATP player at Wimbledon, and his dominance is confirmed by the fact that he won the last four editions of the event.
Moreover, Djokovic is yet to lose on the Centre Court since 2013, and he's a big favourite going into the final match, unlike at the Roland Garros. But the 36-year-old defeated his opponent on the Parisian clay, and he will be hoping for the same result also in London.
Even Alcaraz said that his opponent will be the favourite, but his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, doesn't want to 'make the giant even bigger'. According to the Spaniard's words, Djokovic is a human like any of us, and that's something his protégé has to keep in mind during the final clash.
"If we make the giant even bigger it is impossible to beat him. We’re going to take it to him and forget the stats. He’s a player, with two arms and two legs like us. We have to be at 100 per cent to put on a good match, forgetting about history and the numbers."
When talking about the preparation for the final, Ferrero mentioned that he advised Alcaraz not to look at his phone. That's because of a simple reason, anywhere he would look, he would see some incredible stat related to Novak Djokovic and Wimbledon.
"Little more than we have been doing, there’s no need to create a new routine. Today will be a relaxed day: a little bit of gym, be fresh for tomorrow and try to keep him away from the phone, from anything from the outside."
"That’s our job. I don’t know if we’ll achieve it because it’s a losing battle, but I advised him yesterday to try and stay away from anything that is said about the final. And, of course, to try and enjoy playing and to fight to the death for the match."
Ferrero also reminded that the Spanish youngster managed to beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion once already, and even though the last meeting has been far from ideal, Alcaraz already knows that Djokovic can be beaten.
"If we take that baggage with us, it [will be] extremely difficult. Carlos has beaten him once and then there was Paris. He has had both experiences. We hope that the third will be better than the previous two."
"In the end, when you play more times against someone, you learn to handle the rhythm. The situation is similar. Maybe here Djokovic is the favourite and that could benefit Carlos. What we have to do is to get him to play relaxed and fluid. Nobody goes out into a Wimbledon final feeling relaxed from the start, above all because of the difficulties the opponent will create for us."
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