What’s at stake then, besides copious quantities of pride? Having already beaten Jannik Sinner in the semifinals — who’d drubbed him in their last five matches — Novak Djokovic could post the crowning achievement of his career by beating Carlos Alcaraz.
He’d triumph over long odds, the prodigious talent and incredible skill of his rivals, 14- and 16-year age deficits, Father Time etc.
And yet it’s Alcaraz who has more at stake here. By winning, he’d complete the career Grand Slam at a men’s record-young 22 years old. He’d win a second straight major; both of them being on Sinner’s favored hard court, he’d separate himself from his rival a bit.
He’d be the favorite going into Roland Garros, furthering the possibility of the Carlos Slam.
But more importantly than all of that, Alcaraz would get one over on Djokovic. Although he’s won both their meetings in major finals, he trails 4-5 in the head-to-head. That’s not a great look given that he wants to surpass Djokovic one day.