Carlos Alcaraz told to ‘chill out’ ahead mouthwatering Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic

Shahida Jacobs 16 Jul 2023 8:07 AM

Carlos Alcaraz reacts after a point

Carlos Alcaraz has been given advice ahead of the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic with a former world No 1 urging him to be overconsumed by the match.

The form book has held at Wimbledon 2023 as the top two players in the world will square off in the showpiece match on Centre Court on Sunday.

Although Alcaraz is the current world No 1, Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite as he is looking to win an eighth title at SW19 that will see him draw level with Roger Federer for most titles won at the All England Club while victory will also see him extend his Grand Slam record to 24.

The veteran Serbian will also be playing in a record 35th major final while his young Spanish opponent will make only his second final appearance following his US Open victory last year.

And crucially it will also be their second meeting in the space of a month as they faced each other in the semi-final of the French Open. Tipped to be one of the matches of the tournament, it lived up to the hype in the first two sets, but then pressure got the better of Alcaraz as he started cramping and lost his way to down in four sets.

Ahead of the clash, Alcaraz told Eurosport: “Everybody knows Djokovic is the main favourite, me as well.

“I know he’s the favourite, he’s won the last four Wimbledons, coming for the fifth in a row – 44 matches unbeaten here at Wimbledon, it’s something crazy.

“I’ll try not to think about it, I’ll try to forget all the stats he has here in Wimbledon. I’ll try to think it is one more match like every match that I played before, and I’ll try to show my best and find a way to beat him.”

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander has some tips for Alcaraz ahead of the Wimbledon clash, saying he hopes the 20-year-old learned lessons from his Roland Garros defeat.

“It is going to be absolutely mouthwatering and as exciting as you are going to get watching a tennis match. The anticipation is so high. I am excited,” the Swede said during a Eurosport broadcast.

“In Paris, I would say he was too prepared and started thinking about it as soon as he won in the quarters. It seems like he started thinking about it too early, and we heard that from one of his coaches.

“I think he just has to take it down a notch and chill out, which is not easy, to not be thinking about the final. He needs to work on things that might help him, but he just has to go through regular preparations, and he should be okay.

“He needs to not think about the final too much, and I think he learnt so much from their match in Paris.”