Novak Djokovic took to Centre Court with world number two Carlos Alcaraz for a pre-Wimbledon practice set, and revealed what made his opponent so good at the tournament.
The pair faced off in last year’s final, with Alcaraz emerging the victor in straight sets to win his second Wimbledon title.
Following wins at Queen’s Club and the Roland Garros, Alcaraz goes for his third Wimbledon title on the bounce. Before practising with the Spaniard, Djokovic explained what makes him so good at the tournament.
Djokovic says modern tennis balls make Alcaraz hard to beat
Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times, taking his first victory at SW19 in 2011.
No current player understands what it takes to win the tournament better than the Serbian, but he said the way the grass courts play has changed over the years in a TV interview with The Championship before the set.
“Wimbledon balls are slower than they used to be,” he revealed. “It makes it extremely difficult to get past guys like Alcaraz when they try to get to the net.”
The slower pace of the modern balls seemingly suits Alcaraz’s game. Alcaraz won the French Open for the second time, finding success on clay, a slow surface.
Djokovic was left impressed by the 22-year-old’s performance in a classic French Open Final against Jannik Sinner, the world number one.
“It is a different surface, a different style of play, but what they produced in the final in Paris was amazing,” he said.
Djokovic stalemates Alcaraz in Wimbledon practice set
When the pair took to Centre Court for the practice set, Djokovic held his own against the reigning champion. The set finished 5-5 with neither player dropping a service game.
That was a stark contrast to Alcaraz’s comfortable win against the 24-time major winner. Alcaraz can win his third straight Wimbledon and become only the second ever player to win the French Open, Queen’s and Wimbledon in a single season.
But not if Djokovic has anything to say about it. He hasn’t won the competition since 2022, equalling his longest streak without winning Wimbledon in his career.
Djokovic was defeated at the semi-final stage of the French Open to Sinner, but proved he can still compete at the top level after beating world number three Alexander Zverev in the previous round.
It would be foolish to bet against him as he looks to return to the Wimbledon Final for the fifth straight year.