When the Wimbledon draw was released over two weeks ago, many were eyeing a repeat of last year’s instant classic. The tennis gods answered as Sunday at the All England Club features world #2 Novak Djokovic squaring off against world#3 Carlos Alcaraz for Wimbledon glory. The Serbian is chasing his eighth Wimbledon title, but the Spaniard is the reigning champion. Something must give on championship Sunday. As always, we at LWOT have our roundtable predictions of the 2024 Wimbledon men’s final. Shane, Yesh, Jordan, Ateet, and Jim offer their predictions.
Wimbledon Men’s Final Prediction
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz
Shane
This is the final every tennis fan wanted. Is Djokovic moving at 100 percent? No, but he has held up well, given his knee concern entering the tournament. Alcaraz is already one of, if not the, best grass-court player in the world. His variety and flair are rewarded on this surface. I expect another instant classic on Sunday, but something must give. I’ll give Djokovic a slight edge. He has to win at least one slam this year, right?
Prediction: Djokovic in 5
Yesh
Novak Djokovic’s movement didn’t look great in his semifinal. If he’s not fully healthy, beating Carlos Alacaraz won’t be easy. Then again, by all rights Djokovic should have won last year’s final. He’s just better than the Spaniard on grass, and not being fully healthy probably won’t change that.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Jordan
Despite reaching the final, Alcaraz will need to play better than his previous matches to beat Djokovic. The Spaniard has been getting through his matches without hitting the heights he is capable of. That said, I think the French Open champion will stop Djokovic from equalling Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles once again. Djokovic and the knee he had surgery on have not been properly tested yet at SW19. I expect Alcaraz to rise to the occasion, like in his previous Grand Slam finals, and topple the Serbian with his energy and shotmaking.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Ateet
It’s a repeat of last year’s final, as both players convincingly won their semifinal matches. Carlos Alcaraz loves playing against Djokovic and is coming into this match with a Grand Slam win already behind him this year. Surprisingly, this will be Djokovic’s first final at any tournament this year, and he will be eager to avenge last year’s loss. This will be a great match again, but Alcaraz will test Djokovic’s knee to the extreme, and if it doesn’t hold up, the Spaniard will take advantage of it. I expect Djokovic to start strong, but Alcaraz will claim glory in the end.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 5
Jim
Djokovic was a better player a year ago, or at least he was in better form and not dealing with a fairly serious knee problem. He still lost to Alcaraz after a five-set battle. The Spaniard is not playing as well this season as he did last, but his forehand remains a formidable weapon and he is still covering the court superbly. Djokovic is Djokovic, probably the greatest player ever to pick up a tennis racket, which means he might well be able to win this match. But given their respective form and the result last year, it is hard to look past Alcaraz.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
