Novak Djokovic plays Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, eyeing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title and eighth Wimbledon men’s singles title with the No. 1 ranking on the line, too.
At nearly 16 years, it’s the third-largest age gap in a men’s Grand Slam final after Jimmy Connors won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1974 over Ken Rosewall, who was nearly 18 years older.
It’s a meeting between the best player of the outgoing 1980s generation — Roger Federer retired last year, and Rafael Nadal plans to retire next year — and the man leading the group to replace them after the largely lost 1990s generation.
“Everybody knows it’s going to be really, really difficult, but I will fight,” said Alcaraz, who lost to Djokovic in the French Open semifinals and will bid to become the first person to beat Djokovic at Wimbledon in six years.
Djokovic, 36 and the No. 2 seed, beat Italian Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to reach his ninth Wimbledon final and break the record for overall Grand Slam singles finals.
“The scoreline doesn’t give the reality of what was happening on the court; it was super close,” said Djokovic, who staved off two Sinner set points on his serve to stay in the third set against a man 14 years his junior. “It’s great to be part of this new generation. I love it.”
Djokovic received what he called the first hindrance point penalty of his career for grunting during a point outside of the typical noise when hitting the ball. He also mimicked crying to taunt the Centre Court crowd.
Djokovic made his 35th Slam final, breaking his tie with Chris Evert for the record.
With a win Sunday, Djokovic will tie Margaret Court’s record 24 Grand Slam singles titles and Roger Federer’s record eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles.
He can also become the oldest Wimbledon singles champion in the Open Era (since 1968).
Later Friday, top seed Alcaraz took out No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Alcaraz, who last year became the second-youngest man to win the U.S. Open in the Open Era, can become the third-youngest man to win Wimbledon in the Open Era after Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg.
Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the French Open semifinals after the 20-year-old Spaniard had full-body cramps starting in the third set after splitting the first two. Alcaraz attributed it to the nerves of the occasion, facing Djokovic at a Grand Slam for the first time.
If Djokovic wins Wimbledon, he will again go into the U.S. Open seeking the calendar Slam. Alcaraz is the reigning U.S. Open champion.
“Yes, I do have more experience playing in many more Grand Slam or Wimbledon finals than him,” Djokovic said. “Still he’s in great shape. He’s very motivated. He’s young. He’s hungry. I’m hungry, too, so let’s have a feast.”
Wimbledon continues Saturday with the women’s final between No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia and 42nd-ranked Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, each seeking a first major title. (ESPN,NBC)
