Alcaraz, Sinner, or Djokovic: Who Will Reign at Wimbledon 2024?

He is the defending champion. He has just won another Grand Slam at Roland Garros. He has proven that his game adapts to grass, as it does to everything else. So, Carlos Alcaraz may not be world number one, a role that has been given to Jannik Sinner at the start of this summer, but as the 2024 edition of Wimbledon dawns, he may be the main candidate for his own succession. That is in any case the opinion of Mats Wilander.

“I would put Carlos Alcaraz, simply for what happened last year,” deciphers the Eurosport consultant. “Because he beat Novak Djokovic in the final in five sets.” A Djokovic to whom he had inflicted his first defeat at Wimbledon since… 2017. “That’s why I consider him slightly as the favorite,” continues the Swede, even if he is not far from placing the three best players in the world on the same line.

Next to the Sinner-Alcaraz duo, who will play the troublemakers at Wimbledon?

And Djokovic in all this?

For him, Sinner and Alcaraz are almost inseparable in this 2024 season. A Grand Slam each, and the same ability to shine on any court. “In the future, I think it will be very difficult to distinguish who is the favorite between Alcaraz and Sinner in any tournament, according to Mats Wilander. What they have shown us so far in their career is that they can win anywhere as long as they are fit to play. They will be favorites everywhere from now on.”

And Djokovic in all this? Is it possible to forget the one who dominated the London Grand Slam in the recent past? Quite simply because his case is a little different for purely circumstantial reasons. After his knee injury and his operation just after his withdrawal before the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros, we initially thought that the Serb would not have time to be on his feet for Wimbledon. This will ultimately be the case, at the cost of an express post-operation recovery.

Even with a lack of competition, even with 2024 results far below his standards of recent years (July is coming and he still hasn’t played a single final this season), Wimbledon can be a game changer. “Of course, Novak Djokovic is always there when he’s healthy. He’s going to play and so he’s naturally one of the main favorites for the title,” Wilander judges. Not only is he there and, according to him, without pain.

With one caveat, however, for the former world number one: “Playing on grass after a knee injury is probably the least ideal thing. If the conditions are dry, that will help. He doesn’t want to have a surface that is too slippery to expose himself.” But if his body holds up, there are only a tiny handful of players who could consider beating him here. And the draw has thrown Alcaraz into Sinner’s half of the draw, not his own.

“Sinner is so calm that he made up some ground on Alcaraz before Wimbledon”

I see all three of them as being way above the others.

If Carlos Alcaraz holds half of the Grand Slam titles to date, Jannik Sinner is determined to prove that he is the new boss of world tennis. “Keep in mind that he has already reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, that he almost beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals two years ago and that he has just won in Halle. He knows how to win on grass and he believes in himself,” argues Wilander. Could his defeat against Alcaraz in Paris be on his mind? “I think that after winning Halle, the way he did it, was a way for him to show that he is a worthy world number one and that he knows how to get back up quickly after a disappointment like his semi-final in Paris. I am not worried.”

Alcaraz. Sinner. Djokovic. Each one has their share of questions. The first one doesn’t arrive with a victory under his arm at Queen’s like last year. The second one is at the top of the ATP rankings and has won Halle but he lacked something at Roland-Garros and, unlike the other two, has never won at Wimbledon. As for Djokovic, his overall level this season and his (very) recent injury are bound to be worrying before a new fortnight’s battle.

These various questioning variations spice up the approach to this Wimbledon 2024. But be careful. As much as Roland-Garros was desperately looking for a credible and logical favorite at kick-off time, this trio, even with its questions, displays certain assurances. “In any case, I see all three of them well above the others,” concludes Wilander. If the title escapes these three on July 14, it will undoubtedly be a form of surprise.

2024-06-30 22:36:00
#Wimbledon #Alcaraz #Sinner #Djokovic #favorite