Djokovic speculation addressed by Alcaraz as Wimbledon ace gathers momentum

Novak Djokovic on the importance of routines.

Wimbledon top seed Carlos Alcaraz refused to be intimidated by the prospect of facing Novak Djokovic in this year’s final. The Spaniard continued his march towards the later rounds on Friday with a straight-sets win over Alexandre Muller on Centre Court.

A game devoid of slip-ups against Muller means that Alcaraz has won six sets from a possible six at the All England Club this year. The 20-year-old is hoping to go several steps better than in 2022, when he fell in the fourth round against Jannik Sinner.

As the world No 1 and the top seed at SW19, Alcaraz is seen by many as the main obstacle to Djokovic winning a third consecutive title. The Spaniard was on cloud nine after his win over Muller – the first of his career on Centre Court – and he claimed that a meeting with Djokovic in the final would be an ideal way to cap off the tournament.

“It would be amazing for me to play a final here in Wimbledon,” explained the Spaniard.  “Even better if it is against Novak, obviously.

“It would be amazing for me play a final here in Wimbledon.

Don’t miss… Alcaraz keeps pressure on Djokovic with easy win to start mega Wimbledon day

“But there’s a lot of great players playing here on grass, that feel really, really comfortable on grass. I have to be really, really focussed until the final. There are a lot of matches ahead. I can’t be relaxed. I have to play my best in every match.”

Smirking, a confident Alcaraz then added: “Let’s see if I reach the final or not.” The youngster is gunning for his second Grand Slam title after going all the way at the US Open last year.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Read more…
Tsitsipas kicks off at Wimbledon umpire within minutes of Murray restart[SPOTTED]
Djokovic opponent spotted making gesture to Serb’s coach ahead of Wimbledon tie[EXCLUSIVE]
Wimbledon’s late Centre Court start time explained as Andy Murray causes issues[LATEST]

Djokovic, by comparison, leads the men’s all-time charts with 23 major crowns, and he appears to have plenty of juice left in the tank. The Serb is last up on Centre Court as part of Friday’s star-studded line-up, with fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka hoping to stifle his progress.

Alcaraz is still wildly inexperienced at Wimbledon compared to Djokovic, but a first win on Centre Court may allow him to kick on and take the challenge to who many consider to be the greatest men’s player of all time.

“Well, [I was] a little bit [nervous] at the beginning [of my match against Muller],” Alcaraz added during his post-match press conference. “But the experience that I had last year helped me a lot to manage the nerves better than last year.

“Of course, the [second] round is different. Playing the fourth round against Sinner felt different to the second round. This time I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Source: Read Full Article