Carlos Alcaraz waits in the lobby before entering center court at Wimbledon. There, protected by fine glass, rests the Challenge Cup, a gold cup surmounted by a pineapple that will be taken by the male winner, and the Venus Plate, which will be collected by the winner of the female tournament. Alcaraz passes them, accompanied by Daniil Medvedev, his semifinal rival, and continues to watch the table of champions to his left.
One match is missing before Alcaraz can write his name in that table, along with those of all the legends who have conquered the All England Club, one of the places where this sport originated. The most difficult duel of all is certainly missing, the challenge only comparable to Rafael Nadal’s on the Philippe Chatrier Roland Garros. The earth is replaced by the green of the grass and the Balearic Islands by the Serbian jackal, to give birth to the long-awaited finale of all and the desire of an entire sport. This Sunday (08:00 Colombia time) Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will play for the Wimbledon title.
“This will be the best moment of my life,” thinks the Spaniard, who is fleeing the fear and nerves that gave him cramps at Roland Garros to take on the challenge. “To be the best, you have to beat the best. In the big moments, against the great legends, you have to show your best version. I think I belong in this kind of situation and we’re going to show that. I’ve always I think I can win and I’m going for it.”
Recklessness does not speak, nor daring. This is a boy who grew up watching Djokovic win it all and against the best and who can now be his victim in the cathedral of tennis. Alcaraz is aware that he faces a man who has not lost on Center Court in ten years – 45 wins in a row – who has not lost at Wimbledon since 2017 and who has won all the Grand Slam matches he has won this year. has played ( 20 -0).
The Murcian knows he has the greatest ahead of him. “He’s played 35 finals, I’ve played one,” but he won’t give up on that.
“If we make the giant even bigger, it will be impossible to beat it. We are going to pull out all the stops, for him, forget about the statistics a bit, because otherwise it will be very difficult. He is a player with two arms and two legs, just like us,” explained Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach.
Because the numbers are huge for Djokovic. In his ninth Wimbledon final (he only lost to Murray in 2013), the Serbian is aiming for Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slams, leaving Nadal behind by two and four ahead of the already retired Roger Federer. The Swiss would also match titles at Wimbledon and also, as in 2021, is in the best possible position for one of the few records that still eludes him: capturing the Grand Slam —the four Greats in the same year—, a feat only Rod Laver got in 1962 and 1969.
Nevertheless, Djokovic is a favorite this Sunday, a reversal of the situation regarding Roland Garros, when all pools and forecasts pointed to Alcaraz, who came on the clay tour with better performances and was named the last executioner of the ‘Big Three’. All against is when the Serb grows the most, as seen in the semi-final against Jannik Sinner when he mocked set points against the crowd with nagging gestures, or on a different scale when he conceded two match points against Roger Federer in the final of the 2019 tournament with the whole court against him.
Alcaraz is not the one under pressure this time. It is only his second Grand Slam final and his third meeting against Djokovic. He has a chance to become the fifth Spaniard to win Wimbledon, after Manolo Santana (1966), Conchita Martínez (1995), Rafael Nadal (2008 and 2010) and Garbiñe Muguruza (2017), in addition to retaining the world number one . .
It’s a lot, but time is running out in Alcaraz’s favor, who at 20 could be the third youngest in the Open Era to lift the Gold Cup. Djokovic, at 36, never knows what will be the last. If they jump to the center this Sunday, the crowd will favor Djokovic, the clock, in favor of the Spaniard.
“If I win, it would be great for me, not only because it’s Wimbledon, but also because I’m playing against Novak,” said Alcaraz. “He is very young and very hungry. I’m very hungry too, so let’s have a party,” Djokovic replied.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
