Wimbledon 2024: Defending champion Alcaraz to give Vukic a thrashing

This Wednesday, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will take on unseeded Alexander Vukic during the second round of their 2024 Wimbledon Championship. These two players will battle it out for the chance to play the unseeded Borna Coric or the 29th seed Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

The defending champion claimed the title last year and needs to defend all the points earned in the process. That explains why Alcaraz has fallen to fourth place in the live ranking. However, the Spaniard remains No.3 in the ATP Live Race, standing behind Sinner and Zverev.

Alcaraz has only played one game on grass during a warm-up event in 2024. The Spaniard started his Wimbledon title defense on Monday, beating Mark Lajal in three straight sets. This will be Alcaraz’s second game against Vukic, after losing their first meetup on clay in 2020 when the Spaniard was a teenager.

Last week, Vukic unexpectedly reached the Eastbourne semi-finals after being reinstated in the draw as the lucky loser. Vukic lost to Yoshihito Nishioka during the qualifiers but later defeated him in the main draw. His performance saw him rank 69th, before beating Sebastian Ofner in his 2024 Wimbledon opening match. However, it took Vukic five sets to secure the win and rank 64th in the Live rankings.

Will Vukic challenge the defending champion, Carloz Alcaraz?

Aleksander Vukic has reached where no other Australian pro tennis player has managed by defeating Spanish superstar, Carlos Alcaraz. The Australian is adamant he can manage this feat again, as he hoped to dethrone the current Wimbledon champion on center court. However, Alcaraz was only 17 years old when they last met in 2020 and Vukic outranked him in three straight sets during the French Opener qualifier.  

Considering the Spaniard was only a teenager and his performance has significantly improved since 2020, we expect Carloz Alcaraz to thrash Vukic in three straight sets. However, Vukic believes he can beat Alcaraz for the second time, although he knows that tennis fans won’t give him the slightest probability of winning his second game on Wednesday.

Vukic has closely watched the Spaniard's transformation and evolution as a star player, but what has impressed him most about Alcaraz is his demeanor during searing spotlights. The Australian also practiced with Alcaraz last year during a competition in Beijing, where he noticed the youngster's incredible level of attention. However, Vukic has promised to do his best to take the Wimbledon title away from him. 

Interesting match facts about Alcaraz vs Vukic

• Alcaraz and Vukic have only crossed paths in competitive tennis once. That was in 2020 during the Roland Garros qualifying round, a hard-fought battle that saw Vukic victorious. However, Alcaraz’s talent and performance have significantly changed since then.
• Alcaraz has played 33 tennis matches and won 27.
• Alcaraz crushed Lajal in three sets during the 2024 Wimbledon opener.
• Vukic has only secured 18 wins in 41 games this season.
• Vukic had a challenging victory over Ofner in the 1st round, taking five sets to overcome his opponent.