FILE - Winner Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, right, and Italy's Jannik Sinner hug after the final of French Open at the Roland-Garros in Paris on June 8, 2025. Photo: AP
After his humbling exit from Wimbledon, losing the battle of eras against 23-year-old Jannik Sinner, Serbian great Novak Djokovic, now 38, picked his favourite for the men’s singles title. With Wimbledon now set for a repeat of the French Open final, as Sinner prepares to face Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic made stunning observations about the two youngsters whose phenomenal rise and rivalry mark a shift in era. Djokovic, who reached his second straight Grand Slam semifinal after the French Open, lost to Sinner twice in just over a month. This effectively ended his hopes of a record-equalling 8th Wimbledon crown and a record-shattering 25th Grand Slam title. After his defeat, Djokovic hailed Sinner as the "best player in the world at the moment."
"Obviously he (Sinner) has done very well for himself today, and for the last year and a half he has been the best player in the world. He is gonna have a chance to win his first Wimbledon title. I wished him luck, it is gonna be his first final here and I am sure he is going to be super pumped,” stated Djokovic after the match.
However, when asked about his favourite for the final, Djokovic chose Alcaraz over Sinner. Alcaraz, the two-time defending Wimbledon champion, defeated Sinner in the French Open earlier. He is now on the verge of notching a hat-trick of titles on the grass courts in London after beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) in two hours and 48 minutes in the semifinals.
“I think I will give a slight edge to Carlos as a favourite because of the two titles he has won here and the way he is playing and the confidence he has right now. But it is just a slight advantage,” Djokovic observed.
This will be the second meeting in a Slam final between Alcaraz and Sinner in just over a month. At the French Open last month, Sinner looked like he had won the title after going up two sets but ended up losing in what turned out to be the longest French Open final ever. On Sunday, Sinner will play his maiden Wimbledon final, while Alcaraz will contest his third consecutive.
