Former World No 1 Mats Wilander warned Novak Djokovic ahead of the Wimbledon 2024 final against Carlos Alcaraz which is set to be played at the Centre Court on Sunday.
Djokovic, 37, is eyeing his first major of 2024 as he lost the Australian Open semi-final to Jannik Sinner, the eventual champion, and withdrew from Roland Garros due to a knee injury.
On the other hand, Alcaraz is looking to defend his Wimbledon title, as he clinched his maiden Grand Slam on grass by beating Djokovic in 2023 after a five-setter.
Wilander has been a long admirer of Djokovic but has acknowledged that the Serb is not the force he was once due to his age and said that Alcaraz is definitely the favourite.
"It's very difficult to say who, emotionally, feels like the favourite. I think in many ways Carlos Alcaraz, most probably there is a sense of relief because he has won Wimbledon. He has beaten Novak there obviously. He said after his semi-finals that he's gonna know what to expect in terms of nerves and whatever,” Wilander said.
Wilander further added that Djokovic will be feeling a lot of pressure, something that he is used to, because he knows that his career is coming to an end and winning Wimbledon at the age of 37 would be a significant achievement for the Serb.
"Whereas with Novak, one of the reasons why he hasn't won lately is because he's starting to feel like we all did, that my time [to retire] is not now, but it's coming in a year or two or three and most guys start getting a little nervous and maybe that's gonna catch up to him in the finals on Sunday," he added.
It is worth mentioning that Djokovic has made it to 10 finals at three different Grand Slams, Australian Open (10/10), Wimbledon (7/9) and US Open (4/10). Should the Serb emerge victorious on Sunday, he will become the oldest player to ever win Wimbledon.
