Novak Djokovic: "Carlos Alcaraz is hungry, I'm hungry too, so let's have a feast"

Novak Djokovic is eagerly looking forward to facing Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final.

Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the first semifinal on Friday, July 14. Later, Alcaraz dispatched Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the other last four clash to set up a title clash with the Serbian.

Looking ahead to Sunday's championship match, Djokovic stated in his post-match press conference that this was the most anticipated final lineup for everyone, including himself and Alcaraz.

"This is probably the most anticipated finals I guess from the beginning of the tournament, from most of the people. Alcaraz, myself... It will be his first finals in Wimbledon," he said.

The two met most recently in the 2023 French Open final, where they were locked in an intense battle when Alcaraz began to crap up due to nerves and lost the match in four sets. Looking back at their Paris match, Djokovic acknowledged that they were locked in an even battle until the Spaniard's physical troubles.

Despite the contrast in condition from the clash of Roland Garros to the grass of Wimbledon, Djokovic predicted that they will play out an entering match as both players are well motivated to clinch the title.

"We had a very good match until he started struggling physically in Paris. I think we really took the level of tennis very high. I think was great for the audience and great for us players to be part of that," he remarked.

"Obviously completely different conditions here. Grass is massively different from clay. Yes, I do have more experience playing in many more Grand Slam or Wimbledon finals than him. Still he's in great shape. He's very motivated. He's young. He's hungry. I'm hungry, too, so let's have a feast," he added, with a smile.

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"I see this as a great trait, as a great virtue" - Novak Djokovic on Carlos Alcaraz's ability to adapt to different surfaces

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Carlos Alcaraz came into the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with doubts over his ability to play at his best on grasscourts. While the youngster has shown his prowess on hardcourts and clay,

Before this year, Alcaraz had never advanced past the Round of 16 at SW19. He has previously spoken about the need to learn how to adapt his speed and style to grasscourts.

With his run to the grass Major final this year, the Spaniard has shown that he is well capable of adapting to various surfaces, believes Novak Djokovic.

"He's so young, but he's incredibly consistent now, also on grass. Which I don't think many people expected him to play so well because his game is basically, yeah, built and constructed and developed for clay mostly or slower hard courts. But he's been incredibly successful in adapting to the surfaces and demands and challenges of opponents on a given day," he opined.

"I see this as a great trait, as a great virtue. I see this as one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, that I was able to constantly develop, adapt, and adjust my game depending on the challenges basically. That's what he's doing very early on in his career," he added.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion further stated that Alcaraz and he were the best players, based on their performances this fortnight, to compete for the Wimbledon title this year.

"I think, judging by the performances that we have seen from all the players, I think this is probably the best finals that we could have. We are both in good form. We're both playing well," he expressed.