Federer has retired. Nadal is out indefinitely as he recovers from hip and abdominal surgery. Andy Murray, Djokovic’s teenage junior tennis friend and boyhood rival, has a metal hip and can no longer survive the first week of a Grand Slam.
For 15 years, Djokovic dedicated his career to being better than them — not just for one game or one tournament, but forever.
Now that his rivals are leaving, Djokovic is looking for new motivation. He has already beaten nearly a generation of future stars like Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrei Rublev and Karen Khachanov, but they usually do so at Grand Slam tournaments. A crushing defeat against him, half beaten by his aura and past overwhelming dominance. Hit them before his first forehand makes a sharp turn on the court.
“Even under pressure, he didn’t give up and played very well,” Sinner said. “It’s him.”
Now, he has another Grand Slam title in sight, and the 20-something upstart wants to beat him before he finally leaves the game. He doesn’t say much about taking particular pleasure in beating someone who has far less leg mileage than himself, who should be dismissed in his late 30s. But he only did it briefly after showing a solid effort in the quarterfinals earlier this week, beating the 25-year-old Rublev who he lost in four sets.
“They want to win, but they haven’t,” Djokovic said on court after the match.
Alcaraz will be here for the second time in five weeks. During the French Open semi-finals, Alcaraz suffered a near-paralyzing spasm due to excessive stress.
The 20-year-old Spanish star, who is currently the only player under the age of 27 to hold a Grand Slam title, will get the chance to face an even more relaxed Djokovic in his ninth Wimbledon final. Alcaraz played just 12 Wimbledon matches in his lifetime.
“He’s young, he’s hungry, I’m hungry,” Djokovic said. “Let’s have a feast.”
