Wimbledon 2024 has been a rollercoaster of emotions, with dramatic matches and unexpected upsets. However, it’s the unpredictable weather that has truly dominated the headlines. The tournament has faced unprecedented rain disruptions, forcing organizers to juggle the schedule and leaving fans and players alike on tenterhooks. With the highly anticipated Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz final looming, even seasoned tennis experts like Coco Gauff’s coach, Brad Gilbert, are hesitant to make predictions, acknowledging the weather’s significant impact on the outcome.

As Wimbledon CEO Sally Bolton aptly puts it, the weather has been the undeniable villain of this year’s tournament. “This year the weather has been so variable and so bad at times, that at the moment our assessment is it’s almost certainly the weather that’s impacting it,” said Bolton. The inclement weather took a toll on Wimbledon attendance, with visitor numbers falling by 3.7% to 282,955 compared to last year’s figure of 293,681.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Brad Gilbert highlighted that the role of the weather will be so immense that predicting the winner before watching the forecast will be unjustified. Gilbert wrote, “Those asking for call 📱 tomorrow on Djoker vs Escape from Alcaraz not sure 🤔 yet hoping for a great 😊 epic 5 setter, definitely 💯 need to see weather in morning before making the call ☎️.” 

Gilbert further revealed that he expects the weather to be good tomorrow. When a fan enquired about the possible weather conditions on Sunday, the 62-year-old responded by saying, “As of now weather looks good tomorrow roof will be open.” He certainly took a note of the weather this morning and dropped a fresh update a while ago.

Taking to his X on Sunday, Gilbert once again expressed his reliance on the weather for the outcome of the game. “Weather looks ok this morning. Little bit overcast. Was totally blue sky this morning.” He further remarked on what can be anticipated during the match:

Speaking of Sunday’s clash, it can be well anticipated that Alcaraz will have an upper hand if the weather is sunny or windy. This will result in the retractable roofs not being used and the ball will skid faster, which suits Alcaraz’s style. On the other hand, Djokovic can benefit if the roofs are drawn. But if the weather conditions remain subdued, the match can swing either way. “We’ve got a range of contingencies,” as organizers put it.

Seven of the first nine days of this year’s tournament have had matches scratched from the order of play because of rain delays, with the doubles events particularly hard hit. Earlier, tournament director Jamie Baker declared the women’s doubles final to take place on Saturday instead of Sunday, to accommodate the mixed final moving. “This gives us the maximum flexibility to complete the Championships on time and to play all of the respective finals on Centre Court,” Baker said of the revised plans.

Interestingly, Gilbert’s remarks can’t be ignored completely. Rain has played a spoilsport in many matches this season causing significant delays. And both Alcaraz and Djokovic had been a victim of these challenges. Alcaraz was seen slipping on the court during his match against Ugo Humbert during the second set of the fourth round match. Djokovic, meanwhile, slipped and fell on the ground due to the dampening of the surface by the rain during his match against Holger Rune. 

The latter was also seen disappointed over the incident as he lashed out at the organizers. “Once you close the roof, you know the grass is going to be more slippery. So there’s more chances that players will fall. Unfortunately, some of the falls have caused some of the players to withdraw.” Earlier, Emma Raducanu was also seen becoming a victim of rain as she slipped on the ground and took a medical timeout while battling Lulu Sun. Another victim was the Russian star Grigor Dimitrov who got injured after slipping on the court and was seen limping.

Focusing on the match on Sunday, Djokovic will be eyeing his 25th Grand Slam, but he must be aware of Alcaraz’s impeccable trait.

“History is on the line…” Djokovic aspires to create history despite the Spanish challenge

Djokovic has 24 Grand Slams to his name out of which seven have come on the green surface. As the Serbian legend looks to go level with the Swiss Maestro Roger Federer’s record of winning 8 slams at Wimbledon, he will have to overcome a magnanimous challenge on Sunday. Alcaraz handed a defeat to Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon finals in an epic five-setter. And Djokovic is wary of the challenge the Spaniard may again pose to him.

Speaking ahead of the match, the Serb said, “I see a lot of similarities between me and him in terms of ability to adapt and adjust to the surface. I think that’s probably his biggest trait.” But continuing further, Djokovic wished to create history. “I’m aware that Roger holds eight [titles at] Wimbledon. I hold seven. History is on the line. Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectation.”

As the two of them step onto the court on Sunday, it will be interesting to witness if Alcaraz can recreate last year’s moment for himself or if the Serb etches his name on the 25th title of his career.