Novak Djokovic has been blasted for ‘suicidal’ tactics during his Wimbledon 2024 final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz by the uncle of Rafael Nadal.
The 37-year-old Serbian was nowhere near his best as Alcaraz produced a thumping 6-2 6-2 7-6 victory, with Djokovic outclassed over the first two sets.
It was hugely different to the duo’s epic five-set blockbuster in the 2023 final with Djokovic falling behind early-on as he attempted a number of serve-and-volleys.
Toni Nadal, the uncle of Djokovic’s Big Three rival Rafa, has now slammed the 24-time Grand Slam winner for his tactical errors in the All England Club showdown.
‘Do we face it with our usual weapons and our own style or, on the contrary, do we try to neutralise our opponent by looking for other solutions by moving away from our characteristic game?’ He told El Pais.
‘Personally, I always chose the first. If it is already difficult to play well doing what one is used to doing, it has always seemed much more difficult to me to do well, and even more so in a final, which is not my custom.
‘Knowing that neither his legs nor the precision of his strokes were what they once were, and that a long and physical match would not help him either, he tried a tactic that ultimately proved suicidal.
‘He wanted to impose a high tempo, play aggressively, shorten the exchanges from the back of the court and at the slightest opportunity, close out the points at the net. In my opinion, the only option the Serbian had was to try to slow down the game.’
Djokovic is adamant that he is not thinking about retirement and insists he wants to continue fighting the next generation of youngsters who are slowly overtaking him.
Nadal’s uncle, though, has warned that there is only one player at the moment that can realistically stop Alcaraz – and it’s not Djokovic – it’s the current Australian Open champion and world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
‘Perhaps only Jannik Sinner can play the Spaniard on equal terms,’ he added.
‘And, in fact, Sunday’s final confirms that the real rivalry in the next tournaments and, probably, in the next few years will be between these two: the Italian and our great Spanish champion.’
Alcaraz is now turning his attentions towards the Olympic Games in Paris, where he is playing in doubles with Nadal and will be fighting for a gold in singles too.
Djokovic is desperate to clinch gold for Serbia and said on Sunday: ‘Hopefully [I will] have a chance to fight for a medal for my country.
‘On a completely different surface obviously, going back to the place where I got injured some weeks ago.
‘Let’s see. Let’s see how physically and mentally I’m going to feel. Hopefully I can find the right tennis ’cause I’m going to need all I have and more to go to the final of the Olympic Games.’