Former ATP player and analyst Mats Wilander spoke about Novak Djokovic ahead of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The former player has been a longtime admirer of Djokovic, but it’s clear to him that things have changed. He’s not the dominant force he once was, and it’s because age is finally catching up to him, especially as some of these young players are surging to new heights.
Winning Wimbledon would be massive for the Serbian, as it would be his 25th Grand Slam title, but he’s not the favorite on paper, as Alcaraz is. The Spaniard has looked sharp at SW19 this year at times, and considering the 37-year-old knee situation, the chances are tilted on his side.
“It’s very difficult to say who, emotionally, feels like the favourite. I think in many ways Carlos Alcaraz, most probably there is a sense of relief because he has won Wimbledon. He has beaten Novak there obviously. He said after his semi-finals that he’s gonna know what to expect in terms of nerves and whatever.”
Speaking of Djokovic specifically, Wilander thinks that he’s going to feel a lot of pressure in the final, because he likely knows that his career is drifting to a conclusion, so every final he plays becomes that much more important.
It’s not something that he hasn’t dealt with before, but it will certainly add another dimension to the match, as technically, it could be also Djokovic’s last Wimbledon final.
“Whereas 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.”
