What to expect in Wimbledon men's singles final
Over three weeks of intense competition will culminate in the Wimbledon singles finals this weekend.
In the men's final on Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia will face off on center court.
Here's how the men made it to the finals and what we can expect from each of them on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz
Few are surprised to see Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final; the 20-year-old Spaniard is one of the brightest young stars in global tennis. He won the 2022 U.S. Open--his first Grand Slam victory--in grand style and has surged through the competition ever since. A kinetic, aggressive athlete with surprising maturity and grace, Alcaraz is a rare talent: one equally adored by his fans and his peers.
Alcaraz's 2023 Wimbledon journey has been calm and smooth. He lost his opening set to Italian Matteo Berrettini in the Round of 16 but hasn't dropped a set since, dispatching Denmark's Holger Rune and Russia's Daniil Medvedev in quick succession. He displayed impressive defensive skills in both matches, pushing both Rune and Medvedev to their limits and returning just about everything they sent his way.
Alcaraz's problem in past tournaments was his youthful exuberance; he'd often go for shots he couldn't return and wind up tiring himself out too early.
In his last match against Djokovic, a hotly anticipated semifinal at the French Open, Alcaraz struggled from the start due to cramping and nerves.
"At the beginning of the third set I started to cramp in every part of my body, not just my legs," he told ESPN. "It was really tough for me to move in the third set." If Alcaraz is to beat Djokovic on Sunday and take home his second Grand Slam title, he'll need to keep his nerves and energy in check.
Novak Djokovic
Just about everyone on earth knows Djokovic, whether they're tennis fans or not; the Serb has transcended the sport thanks to machine-like consistency on the court and controversial opinions off of it. He's won more Grand Slam titles than anyone in the modern era, including seven at Wimbledon. He's the defending Wimbledon gentlemen's champion after defeating Australia's Nick Kyrgios on the center court last year.
But Djokovic's path to the 2023 Wimbledon final has not been easy. He struggled mightily against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the Round of 16. And while he beat Italian fan favorite Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the semifinal, he battled uphill against the sentiment of the crowd, nearly all of whom were pulling for the Italian.
If Djokovic is to defeat a much-improved Alcaraz in the final, he'll need to hold his nerve--and his cool--against a Wimbledon crowd hungry for a fresher and less spiky champion.
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