In what promises to be a blockbuster Gold Medal match at the Paris Olympics, Novak Djokovic is set to take Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard won their recent Wimbledon final easily, but Djokovic has impressed so far at the Paris Olympics and is that much healthier after his knee surgery. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for the match, but who will claim gold?
Paris Olympics Gold Medal Match Prediction
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz
Jim: Novak Djokovic will no doubt give this his all. It is a best of three match, and this is the one major accolade that still eludes him. He has also had more time to recover after knee surgery and looked a better player as a result. But Carlos Alcaraz is simply performing at another level right now. The Spaniard is an all-time great in the making and Djokovic, ultimately, is not the force he once was. Tokyo 2020 was probably his best chance at Gold, the Serb may ultimately have to settle for Silver.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Damian: We’ve just seen this one at Wimbledon and despite the brief scare in the quarterfinals, it seems like Djokovic’s knee is doing much better now. It probably shouldn’t be the blow out that Alcaraz handed to the Serbian in London. But it’s still tough not to see him as the favorite, especially with Djokovic chasing this achievement for so long and previously not stepping up when he had the chance to take it.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Jordan: This feels like it could end in a similar fashion to Wimbledon a few weeks ago. After beating Musetti in straight sets in the semifinal, is Djokovic physically ready to beat Alcaraz? Despite the Serbian’s excellent record over five sets, only needing to win two sets against the Spaniard might reassure him that his troublesome knee will hold up. However, Alcaraz’s level has been better than any other player so far. Djokovic needs to be at his vintage best to have a chance against the Spaniard, but I am not fully confident he is ready to hit that level right now.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 2
Ateet: Based on their form this tournament and this year, Alcaraz should win but this is the first time Djokovic has made the finals of the Olympics and will give everything he has got. He will be more prepared than the last time these two met. Alcaraz has the edge on physicality and confidence he currently holds over Djokovic. To beat Alcaraz, Djokovic will have to play his best tennis which he hasn’t done all year. It won’t be as one-sided as the Wimbledon final but Alcaraz has the edge.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports:
