“He will start getting nervous,” Mats Wilander warns of Novak Djokovic retirement nerves ahead of final against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon
In his 10th career Wimbledon final, Djokovic faced familiar foe Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic and Mats Wilander (via Imago)
Novak Djokovic takes on Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final with hopes of winning his eighth title at the tournament. However, tennis legend Mats Wilander believes that there is a sense of retirement nerves in the 37-year-old ahead of the blockbuster match.
The Serbian is in his 10th Wimbledon final and his first final of the season. He has not had a memorable year. In fact, this is the first year he has been without any title by July since 2006. His best results this year before Wimbledon have been three semifinal finishes at the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, and Geneva Open.
Djokovic won his first semifinal match of the year beating Lorenzo Musetti to reach the Wimbledon final, where he faces familiar foe Alcaraz. The pair met in the final last year also, with the Spaniard winning the five-set thriller.
At the French Open last month, the Serbian suffered a knee injury and had to undergo surgery. Though fit and playing well at SW19, Mats Wilander opined that Djokovic will feel a little nervous ahead of the final and that age might be his undoing.
With Novak, one of the reasons why he hasn’t won lately is because he’s starting to feel like we all did, that my time [to retire] is not now, but it’s coming in a year or two or three and most guys start getting a little nervous and maybe that’s gonna catch up to him in the finals on Sunday.
Mats Wilander said via Eurosport
Alcaraz is on the verge of winning his fourth Grand Slam before turning 22. If he does beat Djokovic, he will have won back-to-back Wimbledon titles, a feat that even Rafael Nadal has not achieved.
Novak Djokovic admits winning 25th Grand Slam an extra motivation ahead of Wimbledon final
Novak Djokovic has admitted that winning his 25th Grand Slam is an extra motivation ahead of his Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz. The Serbian also has the opportunity to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight titles at the tournament.
While the 37-year-old has been playing well since his return from knee surgery, Alcaraz will be the toughest opponent he will face in the last two weeks. He heads into the final with confidence as he believes that Wimbledon brings the best out of him always.
Of course, it serves as a great motivation. But at the same time there is also a lot of pressure and expectation. Wimbledon just extracts the best of me and motivates me to always show up and perform the best I can.
Novak Djokovic said via BBC
Djokovic has beaten Alcaraz twice since losing to the Spaniard at Wimbledon 2023. He will be hoping to get revenge for last year’s final and script history in the process.
In case you missed it:
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Victor Okechukwu
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