Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are set to meet in the Olympic final on Sunday in what promises to be an absolute blockbuster.
Djokovic, who is chasing his first Olympic title, and Alcaraz have both made it through to the showcase event in relatively comfortable fashion, with neither of the pair dropping a set so far in the tournament.
Alcaraz made his way into Sunday’s gold medal match in hugely impressive fashion as he dismantled Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Djokovic’s semi-final was slightly less straight forward but he also dispatched with Lorenzo Musetti in fairly comfortable fashion.
It means Djokovic and Alcaraz will now meet for the second time in under a month and revenge could be on the Serbian’s mind.
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The world number two was taken apart by Alcaraz the last time they met at Wimbledon, in a comprehensive defeat.
And even Djokovic has conceded that he feels like an underdog heading into the contest, due to Alcaraz’s familiarity with the clay.
“Alcaraz and I reached the final without losing a set and we play great tennis,” he said. “He is a slight favourite because of the results, he grew up on clay, which is his favourite surface, but he is good on all surfaces, which also impressed me.
“The only time I beat him won the semi-final here last year. A lot has changed since then. He dominated in the Wimbledon final, but I’m a totally different player than I was then. I play better and I have better chances on Sunday. There is no clear favourite, but he has a slight advantage.”
Djokovic’s record on clay
It must be said that while Djokovic has arguably had his least success on clay out of all the surfaces, it hardly means that his record on the dirt is poor.
Rafael Nadal’s dominance at the French Open means that Djokovic has only been able to win Roland Garros on three occasions but his overall record on the surface remains hugely impressive.
The 37-year-old has claimed a total of 19 titles on clay, with 11 of those successes coming at Masters level.
Carlos Alcaraz’s record on clay
Alcaraz is widely expected to become the next Nadal and dominate on the clay throughout his career.
He is unbeaten in his last 12 matches at Roland Garros and has already scooped his first French Open title at the age of just 21.
His overall record on the surface stands at 76 victories and just 17 defeats over the course of his career so far.
Interestingly, the last time the pair met at Roland Garros, Djokovic came out on top in four sets, although Alcaraz was badly hampered by cramp on that occasion in 2023 due to nerves.
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