Former Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis considers Novak Djokovic the ‘favorite’ over Carlos Alcaraz saying that the Serbian is on course for his ‘Calendar Slam’
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (Credits: Sky Sports, Tennis World USA)
Former Wimbledon runners-up Mark Philippoussis recently had an interview with Tennis Majors where he talked about his views on Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic and their chances of lifting this year’s Wimbledon. Mark was highly impressed by Carlos Alcaraz’s performance on grass after the Spaniard lifted the Queen’s Club Championships, but he still feels that in order to topple Djokovic on grass, he needs something more than that.
Philippoussis, who has now teamed up with Greece’s Maria Sakkari and has also coached Stefanos Tsitsipas in the past, has given a brave verdict. As per the former tennis player himself, on July 16th, it will either be Novak or Carlos lifting the Wimbledon trophy.
He also mentioned Djokovic’s hunt for his first Calendar Slam saying, “Djokovic is a slight favorite, and then Alcaraz. Djokovic has won the first two majors of the year, so of course he is thinking about the Calendar Slam. He’s got a chance surely, he’s got everything he needs to accomplish that.”
The 2003 Wimbledon finalist also talked about Alcaraz’s improvement on the grass in recent days saying, “On the other hand, Alcaraz is coming off the trophy in Queens. I feel that with every day he is getting more comfortable on the grass, which is a dangerous sign for the other. He is feeling better and better about his game on grass.”
What are the chances of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz facing each other on course to the trophy?
Novak Djokovic has already started his conquest for a straight five successive Wimbledon titles with a win over Argentina’s Pedro Cachin in the first round by 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 points. He looked really confident during the match, and his hunt for a Calendar Grand Slam is working as a confidence boost for him. Djokovic will have a tougher range of opponents with Jannik Sinner, Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov, and Taylor Fritz all in the Serbian’s half.
On the other hand, Alcaraz has a much greater chance of reaching the finals comfortably, with a probability of 19.8%. Although when it’s Novak on grass, it’s a whole different story, as he is the man to beat on grass. Eight-time champion Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors have played more men’s singles matches at Wimbledon than him.
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Soumyadeep Mondal
(882 Articles Published)