Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic meet in the Wimbledon final yet again.
The pregame narrative: This should be an epic battle between generations. Alcaraz already has three grand slams under his belt at 21 years old while Djokovic can tie Roger Federer's record with an eighth win at the All England Club. I'm backing a well-rested Djokovic to get the job done.
Check out our Alcaraz vs. Djokovic odds and best bet for the Wimbledon final on July 14.
Alcaraz vs. Djokovic Wimbledon odds
Best bet: Djokovic to win (+123)
One year ago, these two met at Centre Court in the Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz won a five-set classic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, securing his first title while ending Djokovic's bid to win a fifth straight and eighth overall.
But I expect the Serb to exact some revenge on Sunday.
Djokovic is 2-0 against Alcaraz since then, beating the Spaniard in the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati final and the Nitto ATP Finals semifinal.
Alcaraz has youth on his side but Djokovic is still one of the best on the planet. The No. 2-seeded Serbian won his semifinal over Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets and has nine consecutive wins at grand slams dating back to the start of the French Open.
Djokovic was forced to withdraw from that tournament due to a knee injury but luck swung back his way in the Wimbledon quarterfinal when he got a walkover against Alex de Minaur.
The 37-year-old beat Holger Rune in straight sets before that, winning a dominant 75% of first serves and 72% of second serves.
All in all, Djokovic has only played 4:51 of tennis in the last week. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has needed four sets to win each of his last three matches, totalling 9:04 of court time. That will be a massive boon for the older underdog.
I'm not trying to undersell Alcaraz at all. He has gone through tougher opponents and is setting records at a machine-like pace. But Djokovic's dominance at the All England Club is well documented and I think the stars are aligning for him to pull off a win against the better (at the moment) player.
That said, I believe this will likely need the full five sets to be decided and also have my eye on over 4.5 sets at +205.
Key stat: Djokovic is 26-1 on grass since 2021.
Tennis Picks made at 10:28 a.m. ET on 07/13/2024.
