Carlos Alcaraz will be the underdog in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final against Novak Djokovic, and he's fully aware of it.
Carlos Alcaraz experienced a unique situation the last time he played Novak Djokovic at the Grand Slam level. He was considered the favourite by many which perplexed a lot of fans, but it just speaks to how much people have been impressed by Alcaraz.
He kind of embraced it as well, but it backfired in epic proportions as he cramped his way out of that match. The most annoying thing for Alcaraz was that he was playing a pretty solid match overall and started to take it over when it happened.
He won't be the favourite on Sunday, though, as it's something everybody can agree on. The experience Djokovic has on the surface and on that specific court is too large to ignore, and in many ways, it might help Alcaraz. He spoke to Eurosport ahead of the Wimbledon final, sharing his thought on the match.
Everybody knows [Novak] Djokovic is the main favourite, myself as well. I know he’s the favourite, he’s won the last four Wimbledons, [he’s] coming for the fifth in a row, 44 matches unbeaten here in Wimbledon, it’s something crazy.— Alcaraz on Djokovic being the favourite<br>
Like many, Alcaraz has heard the numbers and knows them well but he doesn't try to think about it. He'll treat it as a match that he can win and try his best. It's probably the best way to go about it because the numbers can be very intimidating. Even so, Djokovic is beatable, and Alcaraz knows that having beaten him.
I’ll try not to think about it, I’ll try to forget all the stats he has here in Wimbledon. I’ll try to think it is one more match like every match that I played before, and I’ll try to show my best and find a way to beat him.