Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet on the tennis court once again, this time playing for a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics final.
The 37-year-old Serbian has been playing some inspired tennis at this year's Paris Olympics, considering he underwent knee surgery only recently, beating some tricky opponents on his way to the final.
While his level was good, his overall performance wasn't the best that Djokovic could have played. It's better than what we mainly saw from him in recent months, but it's not his best, which he showed in 2023.
Part of that is just him still struggling with the knee, which flared up against Stefanos Tsitsipas once more. Any concerns were squashed in the match against Lorenzo Musetti, which he won in two sets.
That's a positive sign ahead of the final because he will need all the good graces he can find for this meeting. Alcaraz has been majestic at the event, winning matches relatively easily.
The Spaniard stormed past most of his opponents and made a bold prediction ahead of the final, claiming he would win gold. That's the confidence of a man who knows he's the best player in the world and nobody can touch him.
Not even Djokovic scares him anymore because he recently easily bested him in the Wimbledon final, and he had no problems doing that. Clay is a surface, where that's even more likely, especially with Djokovic still dealing with the knee problem.
Alcaraz flies around the court, and he can move Djokovic around, but it's just not a great matchup for the Serbian—not at this moment.
Head-to-head:
The two have played six times so far, and the H2H score is balanced at 3-3. One thing to note is that Alcaraz bested the Serbian in two finals before. The only final Djokovic won was the final in Cincinnati, a brutal match in which both played amazing tennis at times.
The younger of the two won the most recent one at Wimbledon, and on clay, the H2H shows 1-1. It's important to note that in the clay match that Djokovic won, Alcaraz greatly struggled with cramps. At the time they hit, the Spaniard was starting to turn the match around in his favour.
Alcaraz is quicker on the surface and moves better. He's also strong hitting-wise and can hit Djokovic off the court, as crazy as it sounds. He has also improved on the serve, which adds another dimension to his play.
| Novak Djokovic | Carlos Alcaraz | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | H2H | 3 |
| 2 | Rank | 3 |
| 37 | Age | 21 |
| 28-7 | 2024 W/L | 38-6 |
| 1115-220 | Career W/L | 193-49 |
Prediction:
Overall, it's just a bad matchup for Djokovic on this specific surface, and with the way the Spaniard has been soaring recently, it doesn't seem like he will stop here. The Serbian player will have a chance, but he needs his absolute best to win, which is not the case for Alcaraz. That's the crucial difference.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in two sets.
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