By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday July 12, 2024
As we prepare for Sunday’s blockbuster Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, we are crunching the key numbers to try and make sense of the magnitude of this epic contest.
Will it Djokovic, the Grand Slam king, adding another chapter to his mind-blowing legacy, or will Alcaraz remain perfect in major finals and leave the great Serbian on the outside looking in?
Join us for a by the numbers look at what’s at Stake on Sunday:
9 – As Djokovic and Alcaraz prepare to meet in the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive season, they become the ninth pair of Open Era players to meet in the final in back-to-back years. The last tandem to do it? Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who played each other in the 2014 and 2015 finals at SW19.
25 – For the first time in his career, Novak Djokovic is a single victory from becoming the first player – male or female – to win 25 major singles titles. Djokovic is 24-12 lifetime in major finals, and 7-2 lifetime in Wimbledon finals.
Grand Slam titles, Open Era (20 or more):
Djokovic, 24
Court, 24
Serena Williams, 23
Graf, 22
Nadal, 22
Federer, 20
Djokovic is also bidding to tie Roger Federer on the all-time Wimbledon men’s singles title list with eight. Speaking of eight, Djokovic is bidding to become the first player in history to win eight or more titles at two different Grand Slam events. He has 10 Australian Open titles. Only Martina Navratilova (nine) has more Open Era Wimbledon singles titles than Federer.
3-0 – Alcaraz is perfect in major finals to this date, and on Sunday he will attempt to become the second player in Open Era history to win his first four major finals played. Only Roger Federer has previously achieved the feat, though six other players – William Renshaw, Anthony Wilding, Jack Crawford, Fred Perry, Tony Trabert and Manuel Santana – achieved the feat prior to the commencement of the Open Era.
5 – Djokovic isn’t just the Grand Slam king. He’s also the King of winning majors beyond the age of 30. The Serbian legend is bidding for his fifth major title after turning 35, which would extend a record he already holds. He would also win his 13th major title after turning 30, extending another record he holds – by quite some distance.
Below, see the players with the most major titles won after turning 30:
Novak Djokovic, 12 Serena Williams, 10 Rafael Nadal, 8 Roger Federer, 4 Rod Laver, 4 Ken Rosewall, 4
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