Wimbledon 2023: 5 favorites to win the men's singles title ft. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz

The grass season is about to reach its climax with the start of the year's third Major, the Wimbledon Championships. The tournament will be held from July 3-16, 2023.

While the majority of the tour is quite comfortable playing on clay and hardcourts, it's a completely different story on grass. The tournament has been dominated by members of the "Big Four" since 2003. Either one of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has been crowned as the champion over the last couple of decades.

Federer is now enjoying his retirement while Nadal is on a hiatus due to an injury. Djokovic and Murray are the only Wimbledon champions left in the draw. Former runner-ups Matteo Berrettini and Nick Kyrgios are dealing with injuries, with the possibility of making a deep run seeming quite far-fetched this time around.

Taylor Fritz enjoyed a fruitful grass swing last year, but that hasn't been the case this season. Stefanos Tsitsipas has won just one match on the surface in the lead-up to Wimbledon. Despite the men's tour looking in slight disarray at the moment, a few of them have distinguished themselves from the rest of the field.

On that note, here are the leading contenders for the 2023 Wimbledon title:

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5 favorites to win the Wimbledon 2023 men's singles event

#5 - Holger Rune

Holger Rune at the 2023 cinch Championships.

After going 0-3 during last year's grass swing, including a first-round exit from Wimbledon, Rune notched up his maiden win on the surface this year. He made it all the way to the semifinals of the Cinch Championships, where he lost to Alex de Minaur.

Rune then defeated former World No. 1 Murray in an exhibition match. While the Danish youngster is still finding his footing on grass, he has improved tremendously this season. He seems to be in good form and could very well go all the way at the All England Club if he continues to play at a high level.

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#4 - Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 Wimbledon.

As one of the few players in the draw with a Major title to his name, Medvedev knows what it takes to secure a Grand Slam trophy. He was forced to skip Wimbledon last year due to a ban on Russian and Belarusian players.

Medvedev's best result at the grass court Major has been a fourth-round showing back in 2021. He hasn't been at his best in recent weeks, with a 2-2 record on grass in the lead-up to Wimbledon. However, he has been one of the strongest performing players this season and with the right draw, anything could happen.

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#3 - Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner at the 2023 Italian Open.

Sinner gave eventual champion Djokovic quite the fight when they faced off in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last year. He led by two sets to love, but the Serb stormed back to win the match in five sets.

Sinner certainly knows how to play on grass, but his health remains a matter of concern. He picked up another injury during his quarterfinal clash at the Halle Open, forcing him to retire halfway through the contest. If the Italian has recovered and his body holds up, he could make a deep run at the tournament.

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#2 - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 cinch Championships.

Alcaraz recently claimed his maiden title on grass at the Cinch Championships by scoring a straight-sets win over Alex de Minuar in the final. He made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

Alcaraz has been in fine form this year, accumulating a 40-4 record so far. He has made it to at least the semifinals of all the tournaments he has competed in this season, except for one.

Securing a title in the lead-up to Wimbledon would've boosted Alcaraz's confidence for sure. Given his form at the moment, it wouldn't be too surprising to see the World No. 1 claim his second Major title in two weeks' time.

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#1 - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 French Open.

Djokovic, the four-time defending champion, is the overwhelming favorite to add yet another Wimbledon title to his tally. There's a huge gulf between his skills on grass compared to the rest of the tour. The Serb is in a league of his own and he looks primed to crush the field yet again.

Djokovic is undefeated at the Majors this year, having already claimed the Australian Open and the French Open. In fact, since 2021, he has lost just two matches at Grand Slams.

Those two losses were against Medvedev in the final of the 2021 US Open and to Nadal in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals. Djokovic is now on course to complete the Calendar Year Grand Slam. He's also chasing a 24th Major title, along with an eighth Wimbledon crown.

The Serb's mental fortitude has often been cited as one of his best attributes, but he could still crumble under pressure. The aforementioned loss to Medvedev is an example of him not playing his best with history on the line, with the Calendar Year Grand Slam being up for grabs back then.

However, the odds of that happening again are slim. Djokovic has proved himself to be the best of the bunch time and time again. He's not the one to miss out on these opportunities, rising to the occasion when it matters. The chances of him emerging victorious at the All England Club once again remain high.