The appeal of tennis seems to be waning. Not only because of the recent rise of the new sport pickleball, but also because the tennis world no longer has many matches that are compelling enough for viewers to spend hours watching.
After Roger Federer retired, Rafael Nadal is also nearing the end of his career, the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has just begun, and the excitement of men's tennis is now focused on the showdown between Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz.
The two players have been trying to maintain that excitement, but it cannot be denied that, with Djokovic being 37 years old, the balance is somewhat tilted towards his opponent, who is 16 years younger.
Evidence of this is their most recent meeting in the Wimbledon final, where Djokovic lost 0-3. Grass courts are not Nole's forte? Remember, 7 out of the 25 Grand Slam titles the Serbian player has won are from Wimbledon, with the most recent being in 2022.
Meanwhile, on clay courts, Djokovic has only won at Roland Garros three times, where tennis will be played at the 2024 Olympics.
After eliminating Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Lorenzo Musetti, the final major obstacle preventing Djokovic from his first - and possibly only - gold medal is Alcaraz.
In Djokovic's peak year of 2023, he won 3 out of 4 encounters with Alcaraz. But with another year, more injuries, and declining physical fitness, the former world number one has faced many difficulties against the strength and endurance of the Spanish player.
Perhaps, Djokovic hopes that the pressure of the Olympic gold medal match - where Alcaraz has never competed - will present certain challenges for the 21-year-old player. Moreover, being rated higher than Djokovic is rare and also brings a lot of pressure.
Alcaraz will remember the 2023 French Open semifinal - also at Philippe-Chatrier, where he lost and learned a lesson.
Another concern is how Alcaraz will maintain focus when Djokovic has to pause for medical reasons, something he is very likely to do given his current physical condition.
Such pauses can change the momentum and disrupt matches, and many players have struggled to manage these pauses effectively.
Watch the Djokovic vs Alcaraz match live on Eurosport (https://www.eurosport.com/olympics/) and Discovery+ (https://www.discoveryplus.com/).
