Djokovic vs. Alcaraz: Why the Wimbledon final marks a historic point in tennis | ANALYSIS

On July 3, 2011, Novak Djokovic he had the luxury of competing and winning his first Wimbledon final before, no less, than Rafael Nadal. It’s been more than twelve years since that epic victory. At that time, in a tennis academy in Murcia, Spain, a little boy of only 8 years of name was doing his thing. Carlos Alcaraz.

Little more than a decade later –one with 36 and the other with 20– they became the protagonists of the decisive duel of the season at the All England Club.

In this edition, the Hispanic knocked out Chardy and Muller, Jarry –who put up a great battle of up to four sets–, Berrettini, Rune and the Russian Medvedev. For his part, Novak beat the Argentine Cachín, Thompson and Wawrinka in straight sets in the initial instances, to later suffer a little more with Hurkacz (they met two days in a row due to the rule that does not allow play beyond 11 at night). , Rublev, and Sinner.

Going back to that 2011, if the final was led by Rafael and Djokovic; the Swiss Federer said goodbye in the quarterfinals against Tsonga. Twelve years later, the native of Basel is already retired and the man from Manacor is away from the courts due to injuries and most likely will face one more season and then say goodbye. Of those three musketeers – or called Big 3 – we only have one exponent left, the one who has stopped dividing titles with them and who seems unstoppable in pursuit of expanding his Grand Slam record. However, on this path, the call to lead the new generation comes across.

‘Nole’ has known how to maintain its validity in the midst of the maelstrom that has been the new stampede of figures, because to Carlitos, we must add talents like Tsitsipas, Sinner, Rune, Hurkacz, Ruud, Norrie, among others. The experience – and the fact of having faced two of the greatest exponents of this sport – has allowed the son of Belgrade to continue in force. It is enough to highlight an important statistic: he has been undefeated in 34 matches on grass. While alcaraz He stands out in a generation that makes tennis dream of more unforgettable feats and feats. Being the best of this batch is something to dazzle anyone.

We will see if Novak extends his legacy in Grand Slams to 24 titles – also remembering that he could match Federer’s 8 titles in this contest, in addition to the 5 consecutive ones – or if Alcaraz gets his second big crown (the first was at the US Open 2022 ).

A clash with various seasonings, because the top of the ATP ranking will be at stake and will allow one to tip the scales in their favor: they only met twice with a win for Carlitos (in the semifinals in Madrid in 2022) and the other for the Balkan (in this year’s Roland Garros ‘semis’). In other words, it will be the first final starring both athletes.

We will then see if the last bastion of the Big 3 is capable of maintaining the essence of the past in the face of the effervescence of the future. What is clear is that there will be a duel that will shake up the present.