- The curtains are coming down on the third grand slam of the year
- This is the most interesting Wimbledon in history for both ATP and WTA Tours
- This year’s Wimbledon was and still is a thriller in the tennis world
Finally, the curtains are coming down on the third grand slam of the year; the 2023 Wimbledon finals with Novak Djokovic VS Carlos Alcaraz in ATP Tour and Ons Jabeur vs Marketa Vondrousov in WTA.
This is the most interesting Wimbledon in history for both ATP and WTA Tours respectively. Despite starting in early July instead of the historical June; this year’s Wimbledon was and still is a thriller in the tennis world. Here is what to expect.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC VS CARLOS ALCARAZ
It was evident after the round of 16 that Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz would book a date with Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon finals. The latter sent Italian tennis star Matteo Berrettini home in the fourth round to qualify for the quarter-final.
Alcaraz came back from a set down to defeat Berrettini on Centre Court, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in three hours and five minutes. He became the first youngest player to advance to the final eight at the All England Club. His next opponent was Dane Holger Rune who he properly thrashed and made it to the semi-final.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Photo/The Australian
He faced off with Daniil Medvedev and won Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 thereby booking another date with fate. He unleashed an impressive attack that crushed Medvedev in each of the three sets.
On the other hand, Djokovic’s 2023 Wimbledon final started with defeating Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4 in the fourth round. His exit saw the Serbian tennis star square it out with world No.7 Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev who he also sent home.
His Friday semi-final match with Jannik Sinner finally cemented his ambition to defend his Wimbledon title. Djokovic is confident of his tennis skills and he considers himself the best player to win the 2023 Wimbledon tournament.
“I mean, I don’t want to sound arrogant, but of course I would consider myself favorite. Judging with the results I had in my career here, previous four occasions of Wimbledon that I won, and reaching another semifinal, so I do consider myself favorite, yes,” he post his match with Rublev.
Interestingly, Alacaraz who previously had doubts of playing in a grass-court final with Djokovic is now full of hope. The 20-year-old Spanish player said that his world No.1 ATP ranking and pushing past Wimbledon’s fourth round renewed his hope of bagging his first grass-court grand slam.
“…recovering the No. 1 before Wimbledon, it gives you extra motivation, it gives you extra confidence coming into Wimbledon,” he stated.
While in doubt about making history at Wimbledon, he cited his inexperience in grass courts as a major deal-breaker. However, he is a fast learner and he proved to his guts that he can do everything his heart and mind is into. Ultimately, he has another high stake match with Djokovic on Sunday. And it is the most unpredictable match of the season. It could swing either way.
ONS JABEUR VS MARKETA VONDROUSOV
Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur. Photo/Eurosport
Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur 2023 Wimbledon final is a sweet sound to her ears even as she battles it out with Marketa Vondrousov. Her stars aligned right after qualifying for the quarter-final where she sent Elena Rybakina home and took on the indomitable Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals. Nothing stopped her from bringing her A-game and she is hours away from earning her first grand slam.
Jabeur, 28, chased history in 2022 at the England grass-courts and she had a picture of the Wimbledon women’s trophy on her phone screen. After missing out on the victory, she quickly deleted it, but she now has another opportunity to get it if she beats Marketa Vondrousova in the championship match.
She will go down in the books of history as the first African-Arab woman to win a Grand Slam singles trophy in her third play in a major slam final. Vondrousova, 24, a Czech tennis player is happy that she came this far after arm surgery which left her off the court for six months last year. It’s unimaginable for her that she beat top WTA players and is one match away from rewriting history.
Vondrousova had to overcome challenging opposition in the previous two rounds. She defeated fourth-seeded American tennis star Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals before defeating Elina Svitolina in two sets. Her match with Svitolina was played in front of a partisan Centre Court audience that was emotionally invested in Ukrainian Svitolina’s victory stemming from the fact that it occurred nine months after her delivery and against a background of Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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