'It's coming' - Mats Wilander warns Novak Djokovic of retirement nerves ahead of Wimbledon final with Carlos Alcaraz

Published 14/07/2024 at 08:32 GMT

Mats Wilander has warned that Novak Djokovic's impending retirement could sit in the back of his mind as he comes up against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final for the second year in a row. The 37-year-old is edging closer to hanging up his racquet and has yet to capture a title this year. Alcaraz, 21, bested the veteran in the showpiece at SW19 last year.

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Mats Wilander has said that Novak Djokovic's impending retirement and the nerves around that may be in the back of his mind in this Sunday's Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz.

The 37-year-old Serbian has yet to win a title this year and, naturally, at his age, the conversation of him hanging up his racquet is getting louder and louder.

Djokovic lost his No. 1 ranking earlier this year to Jannik Sinner after a knee injury forced him to withdraw from the French Open quarter-finals, but the Serb has roared back to make it to the Wimbledon final against Alcaraz, whom he lost to in last year's showpiece.

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Eurosport expert Mats Wilander signalled that despite Djokovic's surge to the final this summer, age is finally coming for one of the greatest to ever do it.

"It's very difficult to say who, emotionally, feels like the favourite," Wilander said. "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.

"I think he's gonna feel like, 'Well, I have many more years and chances to win Wimbledon'.

"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."

Yet even if his time is coming, Wilander recognises that experience can be Djokovic's driving quality against the Spaniard.

This weekend will be his 10th final at SW19. A win will see him equal Roger Federer's record of eight titles.

"But I think he's so good," Wilanders added. "And he proved that throughout this championship, it's just about one match. It's tennis and it's two people and [his mindset should be], 'I believe I am better than my opponent and I've won way, way, way more'.

"In his 10th Wimbledon final, 37 Grand Slam finals. Imagine how he feels in front of a Grand Slam final. There must be no nerves that's not gonna make him play better."

Since that loss to Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year, Djokovic has played him twice and defeated him twice. Battles between the pair are contests between generations. Djokovic - the greatest in his class - fighting to hold onto the torch and not pass it on.

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Wilander believes that the Serbian will have the mental edge this weekend, largely as their pseudo-rivalry has developed, the veteran has been able to understand his junior far better.

"I think Novak has a mental edge for the simple reason that because it was so new to watch Carlos Alcaraz play tennis for all of us and especially for his opponents," Wilander added.

"I think that you're starting to understand, and we've seen that with Carlos, in the French Open, especially where he comes in not as one of the favourites and he plays good, plays great at times, not as good. And I think we have all figured out that's how he plays tennis.

"He plays tennis really good for some of the match, not good at all for a little bit."

"And I think for Novak, he has now given time to understand this is what Alcaraz does. When he's at the top, he's the best player that we most probably will ever see play this game.

"When he's not at his best, then 'I am going to step in and I'm gonna dictate and I'm gonna take the momentum and run with it until Carlos takes it back'. Because eventually, Carlos does take the momentum back.

"I think it favours Novak quite heavily to have played Alcaraz in last year's final and just knowing Carlos more throughout the last couple of years."

Alcaraz is on the verge of a fourth Grand Slam before he even turns 22. Beating Djokovic this weekend will see him climb a mountain that not even Nadal could - claim back-to-back Wimbledon titles.

When Nadal reached the 2011 final as the reigning champion, who was there to knock him off the perch and take his crown? Djokovic, of course.

Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 13 and 14, on discovery+

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