Wimbledon Final 2023: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Novak Djokovic vs (1) Carlos Alcaraz

Date: July 16, 2023

Timing: Approx. 2 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST, 1 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET

Tournament: Wimbledon 2023

Round: Final

Venue: London, United Kingdom

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £44,700,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview

Novak Djokovic in action at Wimbledon 2023

Defending champion Novak Djokovic will face top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.

Djokovic started the grass-court Major with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Pedro Cachin and followed it by beating Jordan Thompson 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-5. He then triumphed 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(5) over Stan Wawrinka before defeating 17th-seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 to book his place in the quarterfinals.

The Serb came back from a set down to beat seventh seed Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a semifinal clash against eighth seed Jannik Sinner. He won the first two sets 6-3, 6-4 to have a stranglehold on the match.

The Italian fought hard in the third set and had a set point. However, Djokovic saved it and took the set to a tie-break, which he won 7-4 to book his place in the final. It's the 36-year-old's 35th Grand Slam final, which is the most by any tennis player, male or female.

Alcaraz entered Wimbledon as the top seed and made easy work of Jeremy Chardy in the first round, winning 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. He then registered another straight-set win over Alexandre Muller, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-3, to reach the third round.

Here, the Spaniard beat 25th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 to set up a fourth-round clash against Matteo Berrettini. He came back from a set down to defeat the Italian 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz faced sixth seed Holger Rune in the last eight and beat him 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 to book his place in the semifinals. Here, he faced third seed Daniil Medvedev and registered a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win to reach his maiden Wimbledon final.

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head

The head-to-head between the two is currently tied at 1-1. Their last meeting came in the French Open semifinals last month, with Djokovic winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over and Under)
Novak Djokovic	-185	-1.5 (-105)	Over 41.5 (-120)
Carlos Alcaraz	+155	+1.5 (-135)	Under 41.5 (-120)

All odds are sourced from BETMGM.

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction

Djokovic will enter the match as the favorite to win considering his experience and current run of form. However, Alcaraz has done very well on grass so far this season and is capable of giving the Serb a run for his money if he is at his best.

Djokovic has been very solid on his first serve so far during Wimbledon, serving 55 aces and winning 265 out of 347 points (81.3 percent). He hit 242 winners while producing 118 unforced errors. The Serb's all-round game will no doubt be tough to counter, but not as tough as his mentality.

Alcaraz has also been pretty effective on his first serve in Wimbledon 2023 so far, serving 39 aces and winning 302 points out of 388 (77.8 percent). However, he has also served 23 double faults and will have to be careful not to serve too many of those in the final. The Spaniard has hit 208 winners so far compared to an unforced error count of 183.

Alcaraz can always mix up his solid groundstrokes with his drop-shots and may have to use it more often in order to baffle Djokovic. His stamina and on-court movement will also come in very handy. However, the Spaniard's mental game is what will be needed more than anything else if he is to beat Djokovic.

While the Serb has been very dominant, he may not have a cakewalk against Alcaraz. The Spaniard is capable of making things difficult for Djokovic. If he is able to be at his best and not suffer any fitness problems, like he did at the French Open, he might just hand the 36-year-old his first defeat at Wimbledon since 2013. It will be Alcaraz's second Grand Slam title in that case.

Pick: Alcaraz to win in five sets.