If Carlos Alcaraz has any wild aspirations of breaking Novak Djokovic’s record for all-time major titles, a victory Sunday on Wimbledon’s Centre Court would be helpful.
Djokovic steps on the famed grass with 24 Grand Slam singles championships, more than any other man in the sport’s history —but at the advanced tennis age of 37, no title opportunity is a given.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz already has three major titles, so a win on Sunday would be the Spaniard’s fourth Grand Slam championship at just 21 years old.
As a point of comparison, when Djokovic was the same age as Alcaraz, the Serbian player had one major trophy on his mantel, the 2008 Australian Open championship.
The young Alcaraz made it to his second consecutive Wimbledon title match with a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over Daniil Medvedev on Friday.
Djokovic took a slightly easier path to the championship contest, dispatching Lorenzo Musetti, 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
Sunday’s title tilt will be a rematch of last year’s epic Wimbledon final when Alcaraz rallied to a 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory, snapping Djokovic’s 34-match winning streak at the All England Club.
At that moment, it was the wunderkind’s second Grand Slam trophy, and he’s since gone on to add this year’s French Open title to his mantel. Djokovic withdrew from the famed clay court competition with a knee injury.
There’s a chance Alcaraz and Djokovic could meet again in a few short weeks on another massive stage and give French tennis fans the dream matchup they missed at Roland Garros.
They’re confirmed as participants in the upcoming Olympics. Djokovic won bronze in Beijng in 2008 while this would be Alcaraz’s first time playing under the Five Rings.
Sunday’s match is set for 9 a.m. EDT/2 p.m. BST and will be televised by ESPN and streamed on WatchESPN and ESPN+. Alcaraz was listed as a slight favorite over Djokovic.
