“Novak Djokovic is not at the levels of Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner” – Feliciano Lopez gives verdict on Serb’s Wimbledon chances

Feliciano Lopez recently assessed Novak Djokovic’s chances of success at the upcoming 2025 Wimbledon Championships. This year’s edition of the grass Major is widely being tipped as the Serb’s final chance to taste Grand Slam glory. However, according to Lopez, the current dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is likely to make things incredibly tricky for the 24-time Major champion.

Lopez, the Spanish former World No. 12 who reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon on three occasions (2005, 2008 and 2011), told Sky Sports Tennis:

“He’s not at the levels of Carlos and Jannik, especially in the last 18 months, because the numbers speak for themselves.”

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the spoils of the last six Grand Slams between them, with both the Spaniard and the Italian winning three Majors each. However, Lopez added that he was encouraged by Novak Djokovic’s performance against the reigning World No. 1 in the semifinals of this year’s French Open. Sinner won the match in straight sets, but the Serb put up an admirable fight.

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"But the way he played against Sinner surprised me. He challenged Sinner and pushed him to the limit," Lopez continued.

The 43-year-old also suggested that Wimbledon is the ideal platform for the former No. 1 to try and bridge the gap between himself and the Alcaraz-Sinner duo.

"Although the gap is still big, I see the grass as the only place for him to get to this level that they play because the grass is very different. Djokovic proved that he can still compete at this level but he will have a better chance on grass," Lopez concluded.

The Serb reached the final of both the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon Championships. On both occasions though, he was outplayed and outfought.

Carlos Alcaraz won five-set thriller against Novak Djokovic in final of Wimbledon 2023; Spaniard trounced Serb in straight sets in 2024 final

Alcaraz and the Serb's maiden Wimbledon clash came in the 2023 final. Here, the 24-time Grand Slam winner got off to the perfect start and took the first set 6-1. However, the Spaniard fought back and won the next two sets 7-6(6), 6-1.

Things became all square after the seven-time champion at SW19 clinched the fourth set. In the decisive fifth set though, Alcaraz asserted his superiority over the frustrated Serb and ultimately sealed his second Major title triumph at the time.

The pair clashed once more in last year's Wimbledon final. Here though, things were drastically different compared to the 2023 final, as a rampant Alcaraz dismantled Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Beyond Tennis, Sudipto also has an interest in music, football, and video games alongside cooking and traveling.

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