Jannik Sinner, 22 and Carlos Alcaraz, 21, have won the first two majors of 2024, and were briefly ranked No. 1 and 2. But Novak Djokovic, 37, isn’t quite ready to put up the white flag yet. Despite having a knee procedure just three weeks ago, the Serb remains in the field. The result, as it was at Roland Garros, is that Sinner and Alcaraz have been pushed into the same half of the draw.
Once again, their first meeting in a Grand Slam final will have to wait.
Once again, the Big 3 refuse to go quietly, or clear the way for a long-awaited changing of the guard.
Sinner and Alcaraz are in the same half of the draw again at Wimbledon after playing a five-set semifinal at Roland Garros If and when Sinner or his coaches looked at the brackets on Friday morning, they must have felt good. For the first time, his name was at the top of a Grand Slam draw. But that feeling might not have lasted for long. It would only have taken a millisecond for his team to see another Italian’s name just two lines down. And not just any Italian’s. Matteo Berrettini made the Wimbledon final in 2021 and was a favorite to win the title in 2022, until he had to pull out with COVID-19.
2021 Wimbledon finalist Berrettini presents a large, potential second-round hurdle for Sinner.As for Alcaraz, he must like what he sees ahead of him: Frances Tiafoe, possibly, in the third round; Ugo Humbert in the fourth; and Casper Ruud in the quarters.Djokovic’s path looks manageable as well, with a couple of exceptions: A possible fourth-round encounter with Holger Rune, and a quarterfinal with grass-lover Hubert Hurkacz.U.S. men tend to succeed on grass at a second-tier level. They win Wimbledon tune-up events, and advance to the quarters at the Big W. This year, three of them, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, and Seb Korda, would seem to have a chance to go farther.
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