Roger Federer’s former coach claims Carlos Alcaraz has WEAPONS to hurt Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final
Roger Federer's former coach, Ivan Ljubibic, claimed that though the Serb will arrive in the final as the heavy favorite to win his record-extending 24 Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz has weapons that can upset the Serbian legend.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Ivan Ljubibic, Novak Djokovic (Images via The Independent, Tennis Majors, The Independent)
The predictions have started for the showdown at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz taking on World No. 2 Novak Djokovic on Centre Court on Sunday (July 16). Roger Federer‘s former coach, Ivan Ljubibic, claimed that though the Serb will arrive in the final as the heavy favorite to win his record-extending 24 Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz has weapons that can upset the Serbian legend.
Ljubicic, who coached Federer from 2016 until his retirement in September last year, believes that after the Swiss maestro’s retirement and Rafael Nadal‘s missing tournaments since the Australian Open this year, they have put Djokovic as well as Alcaraz ahead of the rest of the players. Ljubicic pointed out that it’s rare to see Alcaraz or Djokovic facing defeats from other players.
And as the two players, one a legend of the game and the other a talented youngster, are gearing up for the summit clash, Ljubicic predicted who was going to win the final. He said an experienced Djokovic will be the favorite to win the title at SW19, but he also warned the Serb to be aware of the “weapons” the Spanish youngster possesses.
“But again, Alcaraz of course has weapons to hurt. So it’s going to come down to managing the mental part. And we cannot anticipate that. Alcaraz has a game to hurt Novak and Novak is going to do his thing. We’ll see. I do think Novak starts as a favorite,” said Ljubicici (via Tennismajors.com).
Will Carlos Alcaraz upset Novak Djokovic?
It’s tough to say. There’s no doubt that Carlos Alcaraz is dangerous on clay courts, but this year he has shown how aggressively he can turn on grass too, having won his Major title at the Queen’s Club Championships before arriving at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Alcaraz, who will be playing his first Wimbledon final, will have to use all his energy to beat the Serb on a court where he hasn’t lost a single match since 2013. Djokovic’s last defeat came against Britain’s Andy Murray in the 2013 Wimbledon final. He has won back-to-back 34 matches at Wimbledon since that defeat to the Scottish veteran.
It will be interesting to see who can be the winner in this final. When they faced each other in the 2023 French Open semifinal, many expected Alcaraz to beat the 36-year-old because the latter’s performances were not up to par in the clay tournaments he played before the French Open. But Alcaraz succumbed to pressure and cramps against Nole, and the latter emerged victorious in the final later, winning his 23rd Grand Slam trophy.
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Gouri Das
(4850 Articles Published)