If Wimbledon initiated the passing of the torch, then the Paris Olympics very well could complete the exchange.
Last month, Carlos Alcaraz overwhelmed Novak Djokovic to win his second-straight Wimbledon crown. On Sunday, the Olympic men's final could further cement the 21-year-old Alcaraz’s place as the gold standard in men’s tennis if he comfortably defeats the 37-year-old Djokovic again.
Friday’s semifinals merely reaffirmed that Alcaraz and Djokovic stood well above the rest of the Summer Games field. The second-seeded Alcaraz needed only 75 minutes to defeat 13th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 6-1, 6-1, while the top-seeded Djokovic scored his own straight-sets victory — 6-4, 6-2 — against 11th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.
Alcaraz and Djokovic have split their six career matches, but the Spaniard is a -250 favorite (BetMGM) to take the head-to-head lead against Djokovic (+220, BetMGM and FanDuel).
The pick — Carlos Alcaraz to win 2-0 in sets (-105, DraftKings)
There’s no reason to think Alcaraz won’t dominate Djokovic again. The Spaniard hasn’t lost a set in the Olympic tournament, and Djokovic still isn’t fully fit from the knee surgery he had after the French Open. The 37-year-old is relying more on experience and guile, and against most opponents, that would be enough to win. But not against Alcaraz.
As was the case at Wimbledon, the less-than-100% Djokovic will be a step slower against the power, precision and athleticism of Alcaraz. Both will be inspired by the pursuit of winning their first Olympic gold, but Djokovic will have to settle for silver to go with his bronze from the 2008 Beijing Games.
Beating the reigning French Open champion on Roland Garros’ red clay won’t be a walk in the Parc Monceau, and Djokovic knows it.
“The way he’s playing, he’s definitely a favorite,” Djokovic told reporters on Friday.
I concur, Djoker. I conur.
Tennis record: 6-7, -1.68 units