Wimbledon 2024 Final: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Novak Djokovic vs (3) Carlos Alcaraz
Date: Sunday, July 14, 2024
Tournament: Wimbledon 2024
Round: Final
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize: £50,000,000
Where to Watch: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | India - Disney+ Hotstar | UK - BBC | Canada - TSN
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview
In a repeat of last year's final, Novak Djokovic will take on Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles final at this year's Wimbledon. Djokovic came to this year's Wimbledon with an 18-6 record for the season and no titles to show for it. On the other hand, Alcaraz had a record of 26-6 in 2024 with titles at Roland Garros and Indian Wells.
Djokovic entered the 2024 Wimbledon Championships with his health in question as the Serb suffered a knee injury during the French Open. However, the seven-time champion began his 2024 campaign with a routine straight-sets victory over Vit Kopriva in the first round.
In the next two rounds, against Jacob Fearnley and Alexei Popryn, Djokovic dropped one set each but was able to close out the match in four sets.
Djokovic played his best match when he dispatched the 15th-seeded Holger Rune in 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The former World No. 1 got a walkover from Alex de Mianur in the quarter-final, setting up a clash with Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-final. Djokovic beat the Italian in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4.
On the other hand, Alcaraz started his campaign with straight-set victories of Mark Lajal and Aleksander Vukic. Alcaraz was stretched to five sets by 29th seed Francis Tiafoe in the third round, but the Spaniard was able to come through in a tense battle. Alcaraz had to win another tricky match against Ugo Humbert in four sets in the fourth round.
Alcaraz squared off against Tommy Paul and Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. In both matches, the defending champion lost the first set but was able to rally back and win the matches in four sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head
Djokovic leads the head-to-head 3-2 against Alcaraz. The Serb won the last match in the semi-finals of last year's ATP Finals.
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction
Alcaraz has shown some susceptibility as far as his first serves are concerned. In his match against Medvedev in the semi-final, the Spaniard could only make 57% of his first serves. Once he made them in, he won 73% of the points. He also made 37 unforced errors in four sets, which can be detrimental against someone like Djokovic.
Djokovic won 73% of his points on his first serve against Musetti in the semi-final. However, the Serb was able to attack his opponent's second serve during the return games, winning 59% of the return points on the opponent's second serve. The Serb also had a high count of unforced errors, 31 in 3 sets.
The face-off between Alcaraz's serving and Djokovic's return will determine the outcome of this encounter. If Alcaraz can serve better, it will help him maintain his pressure on the Serb. Considering his current form and Djkovic's injury concerns, the Spaniard has a slight edge in this match. However, given the history between the two, the match has high prospects of being a five-set thriller.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in five sets