It’s becoming clearer every day that Novak Djokovic’s most important moment of Wimbledon 2024 was when Carlos Alcaraz’s name landed on the opposite side of the draw.
The No. 2 seed and seven-time singles champion struggled at times in his four-set, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win against Jacob Fearnley on Thursday. Djokovic has made it into the final 32 without playing someone ranked higher than 123 — with only one fully functioning knee.
Now the question is who, if anyone, will have the game and the gumption to take advantage of Djokovic’s compromised state on his favorite surface, before he meets one of his biggest current rivals, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which can only happen in a final.
Alexander Zverev? He’s never been past the fourth round at Wimbledon. Taylor Fritz? He’s never beaten Djokovic. Same goes for his fellow American Tommy Paul. Holger Rune has beaten Djokovic, but not on grass and not in a while.
The best bets might be two Aussies. Djokovic next faces Alexei Popyrin, a big-time server who had the Serbian in trouble in Australia in January, and Alex de Minaur, another lover of the grass who has the speed and footwork to challenge. Read more below.
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