Why Carlos Alcaraz needs to chill out
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander believes that Carlos Alcaraz could be his own worst enemy if he overthinks his clash with Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
Wilander feels that fans are in for a treat of a match if both players play to their potential.
He is concerned however that Alcaraz might get into his head which he suspects happened in his straight sets loss to Djokovic in Paris last month.
“It is a dream final,” Wilander said on the Eurosport broadcast.
“We obviously had a lot of dream finals with Federer and Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, and Djokovic and Nadal, but it has been a while since we have had that kind of clash.
“For me, these are the two best players in the world, and they are quite different in the way they play – you have an aggressive player in Carlos and then Novak’s defensive skills on the grass court.
“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.
“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.”
Alcaraz is only human though and he will have had some thoughts about what it would mean to beat Djokovic to win Wimbledon for the first time.
“I want to win Wimbledon one day, but it would be more special if I beat Novak in the final,” Alcaraz told Eurosport.
“It’s going to be a really emotional moment for me. This is something I looked for since the draw came out, to play a final with him and I’m going to enjoy.”
Alcaraz and Djokovic will meet for the third time in their careers in Sunday’s Wimbledon final with the head-to-head locked at 1-1.
Also at stake is the world No 1 ranking which the victor will claim for their own.
The action will get underway just after 14:00 (BST) on Sunday 16 July.
READ MORE: ‘He’s not playing against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – but Novak Djokovic is better than ever’
