Prediction for the Paris Olympics Gold Medal Match: Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz.
Jim: There’s no doubt that Novak Djokovic will give it his all as a result of the prediction. It is a best-of-three match, and the one significant victory he has yet to receive is this one. He appeared to be a better player as a result of having more time to heal after knee surgery.
But right now, Carlos Alcaraz is just doing it at a higher level. The Spaniard is destined to be an all-time great, and Djokovic isn’t the same player he once was.
His greatest shot at gold was most likely in Tokyo 2020; in the end, the Serb could have to settle for silver.
Damian: This one was just witnessed at Wimbledon, and it appears that Djokovic’s knee is healing considerably today, even though there was a momentary scare in the quarterfinals.
The blow out that Alcaraz gave the Serbian in London perhaps wasn’t the right one. Even still, it’s difficult not to consider him the favorite, given how long Djokovic has been pursuing this accomplishment and how he has previously failed to seize opportunities.
Jordan: This seems like it might end like Wimbledon did a few weeks ago. Is Djokovic physically prepared to defeat Alcaraz after defeating Musetti in straight sets in the semifinal?
The fact that the Serbian just needs to win two games to defeat the Spaniard may give him confidence that his problematic knee will hold up, despite his stellar record across five sets. But Alcaraz has outperformed every other player thus far in terms of skill.
To stand a chance against the Spaniard, Djokovic must perform at the pinnacle of his game, but I’m not sure he’s ready to reach that point just yet.
Ateet: Alcaraz should win based on their performance in this event and this year, but Djokovic is making his first Olympic final appearance and will give it his all.
Compared to their previous meeting, he will be better prepared. Right now, Alcaraz has the upper hand against Djokovic in terms of confidence and physicality.
Djokovic will need to play his best tennis—something he hasn’t done all year—to defeat Alcaraz. Alcaraz has the advantage, however it won’t be quite as lopsided as the Wimbledon final.
