Paul Annacone, the former coach of Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, has revealed who is most likely to hurt Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record-equalling 8th Wimbledon title. Djokovic looks invincible at the moment as just a few days ago he comprehensively dismantled all of his opponents to comfortably clinch his 3rd French Open title. He also simultaneously became the undisputed all-time grand slam titles leader with 23 titles to his tally.

While at the moment Djokovic’s form does seem impeccable and he is playing some sublime tennis, Annacone feels he is not totally unstoppable. He feels that a certain 20-year-old Spaniard who gave him some trouble in the French Open can again hurt his chances in Wimbledon as well. And that is none other than Carlos Alcaraz Garfia.

Annacone believes only Alcaraz can overcome Novak Djokovic

Annacone believes that a lot will depend on how easy or tough the draw is and how the individual match-ups will be. While Annacone acknowledges it is a Herculean task to maul Djokovic in a best of 5 format, he still believes Alcaraz is the man who has that firepower and ability. He also said that it won’t just be about who plays good tennis, but it will be who manages the pressure situations well.

Speaking to Tennis Channel, he said, “Well the question is, can anyone knock off Novak, right? That’s the question. A lot’s going to depend on the draw and style matchups,” said the American. “I still think the best player just to take Novak out is a guy named ‘Carlitos’ Alcaraz. Just because he can hurt you so many different ways. I think on a grass court, there’s a lot of people that can create the opportunity.

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“But to do it three out of five sets in a major is such a difficult question. I think Alcaraz has the best shot at just taking Novak out for me.

“If it’s going to be a new face at the end of the tournament, at that tournament, more than any tournament on the planet, it’s gonna be about who manages the situation. It’s not gonna just be about forehands and backhands.”

However, one can get a glimpse of what lies ahead after watching their encounter in their previous grand slam match. It was unfortunately a one-sided affair.

What happened in their previous encounter?

The French Open 2023 was expected to be a match for the ages. Clay was Alcaraz’s best surface. And with Novak Djokovic not in the best of form, many even picked Alcaraz to win the clash. But due to Djokovic’s champion mindset and Alcaraz’s cramps, the match became one-sided and eventually tilted in Djokovic’s favor. The first two sets were competitive, but last two were easy for Djokovic as he served breadsticks for Alcaraz. Finally, the scoreline read, 6-3, 5-7,6-1,6-1 in favor of Djokovic.

Read more: ‘Something That I Love to Play’ – Carlos Alcaraz Follows in the Footsteps of Idol Rafael Nadal as He Gets Passionate About a New Sport Ahead of Wimbledon

One has to consider how well Alcaraz and Djokovic have fared in their previous Wimbledon experience. Alcaraz, being just 20 years of age, is slowly getting adapted to the surface.

Djokovic obviously is a seven-time champion. So naturally the overwhelming favorite purely based on stats would be Djokovic. But one can’t deny the fact that Alcaraz is improving steadily on grass and won his first grass court title in the Cinch Championships today.

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