5 stats you should have in mind before the men’s 2023 Wimbledon final
Heading into the 2023 Wimbledon final, we look at five key stats between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (Action Plus/Panoramic)
This Sunday, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will square off in a battle not only for the 2023 Wimbledon title, but also for the No 1 spot in the ATP rankings. Ahead of this clash, we look at all the latest stats to keep in mind before the 2023 Wimbledon final.
Djokovic and Alcaraz are 1-1 in their head-to-head
Despite being the two best players in the world right now, meetings between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are few and far between.
The pair have met just twice before, with both matches taking place on clay.
Their first meeting occurred at the Madrid Masters in 2022, where Alcaraz won an epic 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) semi-final encounter. The second was more recent, in the Roland-Garros 2023 semi-finals. This match fell in Djokovic’s favour, with the Serbian outlasting his opponent 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
The Wimbledon 2023 final will be the first time Alcaraz and Djokovic have met on grass, and the first time they’ve played on a surface that isn’t clay.
This is the second largest age gap between two players in a Grand Slam final
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have an age gap of 15 years and 349 days heading into the Wimbledon 2023 final, making it the second biggest gap in history.
The only other time a pair with more disparity have met was when 39-year-old Ken Rosewall came up against 21-year-old Jimmy Connors in the 1974 Wimbledon final. That match did not go the way of the elder, with Connors romping home 6-1, 6-1, 6-4.
This is the first time in almost two years that a Grand Slam final is contested between the world No 1 and No 2
Currently, Carlos Alcaraz is the world No 1, and Novak Djokovic is the world No 2. The last time this occurred in a Grand Slam final was when Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic faced each other in the 2021 US Open final.
As it happens, the winner of this match will also leave Wimbledon as the world No 1. Right now, Alcaraz holds a slim 80 point lead over Djokovic in the ATP rankings. However, with 2000 points on the line for the winner and only 1200 for the runner up, the 2023 Wimbledon final is a straight shoot out for the world No 1 position.
If Djokovic wins, he will become the oldest Wimbledon winner
At 36 years and 55 days, if Novak Djokovic wins the 2023 Wimbledon final he will become the tournament’s oldest winner in the Open Era.
Currently, the oldest Wimbledon champion is Roger Federer, who won the 2017 Wimbledon when he was 35 years old with a straight sets victory over Marin Cilic.
If Alcaraz wins, he will become the sixth player to win multiple Grand Slams before turning 21
Having already won the 2022 US Open to claim his first Grand Slam title at age 19, a win in the 2023 Wimbledon final would see Carlos Alcaraz collect his second Major win at 20 years old.
Only five other players have won multiple Grand Slam titles before turning 21—Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, David Nalbandian, and Alcaraz’s compatriot, Rafael Nadal.
None have done so since 2006.
