The weather has continued to play a crucial role at Wimbledon. Several players have been at the mercy of the rain gods’ whims, with matches interrupted by sudden downpours and drying out just as quickly. As Sunday approaches, bringing with it the highly anticipated finals between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the unpredictable weather is once again a hot topic of conversation. And for Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert the weather is also creating challenges in predicting the winner of the match.

Taking to his Twitter on Sunday, Brad Gilbert once again expressed his reliance on the weather for the outcome of the game. While he revealed the status of the weather in the morning, he highlighted the continuous shift that is being experienced in London. “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. “At game time, should be overcast, roof should be open.” While he failed to make a clear prediction, he seemed to side with Alcaraz in the finals. 

“Get the feeling that Carlos is going to be the first one to really test that knee and movement in and out of the corners for Djok.” Djokovic has recently come out to the courts after a knee surgery in June. He tore the medial meniscus in his right knee during the fourth-round match at Roland Garros. However, Gilbert anticipates Djokovic to bring some surprise elements in the match. “Also, you know, could be Djoker, has saved a little bit. So that part would be interesting…. If Alcaraz has one of the dips he had in the tournament a few times, that definitely can be a fact (for Djokovic.)”

Continuing further, he once again emphasized Alcaraz’s potential and likelihood in the match. “I am slightly leaning towards an escape from Alcaraz.” However, he did not rule out the possibilities for Djokovic either. “I still give Djoker, a 49.19 percent chance of winning.” Alcaraz and Djokovic are soon going to engage in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon finals, and Gilbert believes that it will again be a five-setter encounter just like the last edition. This, however, is not the first time when Gilbert is making such a remark.

Just a day ahead of the finals, the former pro gave a response to the fans who asked his opinion on the match. Taking to his X, he 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 ☎️”. Djokovic, meanwhile, has already been a victim of the rain-led woes at Wimbledon this year.

When Djokovic was left in ‘splits’ due to weather at the All-England Club

Djokovic has been one of the dozen players who faced weather-caused crises at Wimbledon. During his match against Holger Rune, the Serb fell foul of the surface after he slipped and ended up doing the splits during his fourth-round match on Monday. Soon after this, he took a dig at the organizers and accused them of converting the game to an indoor event. 

Speaking after his match, Djokovic blamed the drawn roof for his fall. “Once you close the roof, it feels like we’ve been playing an indoor grass court tournament here more than [an] outdoor, to be honest.” He continued to highlight the challenges that players face due to the closed roof conditions. “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.”

As the tournament draws close this year, it will be intriguing to see if the rain gods bring some mercy and result in a rain-free match.