After the win against Sinner: Djokovic is now really hungry

The hunger for success is probably the same for both finalists. The 36-year-old Novak Djokovic has already won 23 Grand Slam titles, while the 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has just won one. Alcaraz is by no means an outsider after the great semi-final against Daniil Medvedev. But Djokovic seems after the clear semi-final win against Jannik Sinner to have really worked up an appetite.

“He is very motivated, he is young, he is hungry. I’m hungry too, so let’s have a feast,” Djokovic joked. In the final on Sunday (15.00 p.m. CEST/live Sk) it's not just about the number 1 position in the ATP rankings again: Djokovic is hoping for his 24th title and would like to overtake the long-term injured Rafael Nadal by two majors. He can also draw level with the retired Swiss Roger Federer with triumph number eight at Wimbledon. And in the “mixed” all-time ranking he would like to catch up with the sole leader, the Australian Margaret Court (24 titles).

Finally land the Grand Slam It's not just his enormous experience and his ability to improve in the most important games that speak for Djokovic: the Serb has been unbeaten at Wimbledon since the quarter-finals in 2017 (he had to give up back then) and has already won 34 times in a row of Church Road. If he wins the lawn major, then he has a real chance of achieving perhaps his greatest goal in Flushing Meadows in September: finally winning the Grand Slam, all four majors in the same calendar year.

But Djokovic will do the devil to underestimate the ever-stronger Alcaraz. The two previous duels were on clay, the head-to-head score is 1:1. In the semi-finals of the French Open a few weeks ago, Alcaraz was a bit broken by the Serb's aura, even if this is a matter of interpretation: great nervousness had caused the Spaniard to cramp after just two competitive sets. “It’s a final, there’s no time to be afraid.” Carlos Alcaraz “Everyone knows how difficult it is against Djokovic. But I will fight and believe in myself,” promised Alcaraz. “It will be a big challenge for me. But it's a final, there's no time to be afraid or tired." For the youngster, who with a victory would win the second major title after the US Open (Djokovic wasn't at the start at the time, note) , speaks of its upward trend. Alcaraz has recently improved a lot on grass. He won the title at the Queen's Club, so he already knows what it feels like to triumph on London grass. After all, he already has eleven victories on grass. And in the semifinals he dismantled world number 3 Daniil Medvedev three times 6:3. “That was probably one of my best matches,” said Alcaraz, only to then describe his potential as follows: “I would give myself 8 out of 10 points.”

For Alcaraz, not only the Wimbledon victory, but precisely this title with a success over perhaps the greatest of all time would be outstanding. “To beat Novak would be super special. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.” But Djokovic will not let up for a long time, provided his body allows it. “It's no secret that the Grand Slams are my top priority. For me, the job isn’t over until I hold the trophy in the air.”

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After the win against Sinner: Djokovic is now really hungry

The insatiable Serb, who has always eaten a piece of the “holy turf” after each of his seven Wimbledon titles so far, is still on the hunt for records that will last forever. This will continue on Sunday afternoon.

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