It's the king of tennis vs. the sport's rising prince for the Wimbledon title on Sunday (16 July).
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz both won straight-set semi-finals on Friday (14 July) under a closed roof on Centre Court in rainy London, setting up a blockbuster final pitting the world No.1 (that'd be Alcaraz) against No.2.
Djokovic, 36, is into a record 35th major final, having won 23 of his previous 34, tying Serena Williams with the Open Era (since 1968) record. A win on Sunday would tie him for the all-time record in the sport.
He withstood Italian Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4). The seven-time Wimbledon champion has won four consecutive titles at the All England Club, and the win over Sinner marked a 34th straight win here. He hasn't lost on Centre Court itself since 2013.
Alcaraz, 20, will try to change that. The Spaniard, who won the US Open last year for his maiden major win, toppled No.3 seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to set up the mouth-watering men's finale.
"I'm going to be coming into Sunday's final like it's my first," Djokovic told reporters. "I don't want to approach that final more relaxed than I have any previous ones... the intention needs to be clear. The focus needs to be there, as it always is."
The women's final is set for Saturday (15 July), with 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur taking on Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Marketa Vondrousova. Read our women's final preview here.
Wimbledon 2023: Alcaraz vs. Djokovic in final
"This is the most anticipated final since the beginning of the tournament, me vs. Alcaraz," Djokovic told reporters just moments after Alcaraz's win over Medvedev. "This is the best finals we could have. We're both in good form and playing well... I want to take this title."
It's a second meeting in a matter of weeks between the two stars, Djokovic beating a cramping Alcaraz in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros last month on the way to his victory there, which marked a 23rd major title.
Djokovic has the calendar Grand Slam still within his reaches: Winning all four majors in one season. He won the Australian Open in January (his tenth) before his French triumph (a third). He nearly completed the calendar Slam in 2021 only to be stopped by Medvedev in the US Open final.
"He's hungry but I'm hungry too," Djokovic said of Alcaraz. "So, let's have a feast."
The anticipation is, indeed, there: Alcaraz has settled well on the grass surface in what is just his third Wimbledon. He's dropped just two sets and had strong wins over Nicolas Jarry, 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini and junior rival Holger Rune.
The winner of the Wimbledon final will be the world's No.1-ranked player come Monday's (17 July) new rankings.
Wimbledon 2023: Schedule
Wimbledon is into its second week and is set to conclude on Sunday (16 July). A full provisional schedule for The Championships can be found here, while the daily schedule - known in tennis as the order of play - is here.
Matches on outer courts get underway at 1100 local (British Standard Time [BST] GMT +1) each day unless otherwise noted, while No.1 Court starts at 1300 and Centre Court at 1330.
- Saturday, 15 July
1400- Women's singles final; men's doubles final
- Sunday, 16 July
1400 - Men's singles final; women's doubles final
1100 - Wheelchair and junior finals
Wimbledon 2023: How to watch - TV & livestream
As one of the four tennis majors, the Wimbledon has its own broadcast partners, namely the BBC in Great Britain and ESPN in the U.S.
Eurosport carries coverage across a variety of countries in Europe, while CCTV5, SMG and iQIYI are set to broadcast in the People's Republic of China. NHK and WOWOW host coverage for Japanese viewers, while Channel 9 broadcasts in Australia.
See a full list of and find out how to tune intoWimbledon broadcastersfrom wherever you're watching in the world. See a country-by-country breakdown of broadcasters here.
