Wimbledon Tennis Championships will be the final showdown of the men's singles final at 9 o'clock tonight, and the 36-year-old Djokovic will face the current world number one Alcaraz, who is only 20 years old, the third largest age difference in the history of the Grand Slam, not only the two of them, but also symbolic of the century war between the old and new generations!
It's the Wimbledon final we're all looking forward to – and even the players themselves, as Alcaraz admitted two weeks ago. The meeting between world number one Alcaraz and Djokovic, who is vying for the all-time Grand Slam, has never really been questioned, and that is how dominant their respective qualifiers are.
Both have lost just two sets in six wins at Wimbledon this year and have played their best tennis performances in Friday's Round of Four — Djokovic against Sinner and then Alcaraz against Mei.
As Djokovic said, it opens an ultimate showdown that will be immortal in both quality and meaning. As well as deciding who will lift Wimbledon – Djokovic is fighting for his fifth consecutive title and eighth Wimbledon title, while Alcaraz will take part in his first final at Centre Court – the showdown will also determine who will leave London as world number one.
It won't be Alcaraz's first competitive performance in this regard: when he beat Ruud for the first time in a Grand Slam final at last year's US Open, the number one spot was also in jeopardy. But a victory over a record 23 Grand Slam men's singles champion Edjokovic would be even more significant.
"It will give you extra motivation. I think it's even more special to play the final with the legends of our sport," Alcaraz said of the match: "If I win, it could be amazing to me. Not only winning Wimbledon, but also against Novak will be very special."
The 20-year-old Spaniard is 16 years younger than Djokovic and is fast becoming one of the greatest players in the history of the sport (the age gap is the third largest in the men's Grand Slam final). Alcaraz has proven his exceptional talent on hard courts and clay courts, but this year his game is starting to sprout on grass. Djokovic especially praised the successful adaptation of his opponent on the turf, noting similarities with himself in this regard.
"I don't think a lot of people expect him to play so well on grass because his game is basically built and developed for clay or slower hard courts. But he has had incredible success adapting to the venue, requirements and challenges." The Serbian said of Alcaraz.
"I think it's a great trait, a great virtue. I think it's one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, I've been able to evolve, adapt and adapt my game to the challenge. That's what he can do, and he started early in his career."
But Alcaraz must improve in a key area to avenge his defeat to Djokovic in the last four of this year's French Open. In Paris, the Spaniard had a smooth ride after beating his opponent in the second set. But Alcaraz began to experience cramps when the match was tied in one set, and he blamed the problem on nervousness rather than fatigue.
When Spain plays with a smile on his face, he is in the best form. But the bitter showdown between Upper Djokovic in the last four dampened his joy – the first head-to-head meeting between the two at a Grand Slam.
Alcaraz said: "I will try to relax all the tension and try to enjoy the moment, because probably in the first set of the last four of the French Open, I will not enjoy it at all." He will speak with his psychiatrist as part of his preparations for the final. "I'm going to do something different from that game. I will prepare for the tournament in a slightly different way than at the French Open. It would be different for me. I hope there are no cramps in the final. I think I'll be better off on Sunday."
While Alcaraz is the favourites to play at the French Open, at Wimbledon, Djokovic has won 34 straight games and will face different pressures as a weakling. Adding even more pressure to him is the daunting task he faces: breaking Djokovic's flawless grass-court game.
"I have to delve into my tactics because Novak has no weaknesses, so it is difficult to find a way to pose a danger to him," said the Spaniard, "and he is a very well-rounded player. He was fantastic. He can't do anything wrong on the pitch. Physically, he is a beast. Mentally, he is still a beast. To him, everything is unbelievable." Alcaraz later added.
Djokovic won six games at Wimbledon this year, conceding just three serve and saving 16 of the 19 break points. In his previous 34 Grand Slam finals, he has never broken fewer than 5 serves; Alcaraz was broken six times out of 25 break points.