By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday July 14, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz made light work of No.3-seeded Daniil Medvedev to book a spot alongside Novak Djokovic in Sunday's Wimbledon final.
Photo Source: Rob Newell / Camera Sport
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday July 14, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz realized a dream on Friday at Wimbledon as he hit all the high notes against Daniil Medvedev and swiftly dispatched the third-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev to reach his first Wimbledon final.
The top-seeded Spaniard, still 20, but talented way beyond those years, took a brief moment to soak it all in after his methodical 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 takedown of the 2021 US Open champion.
“This dream for me, to be able to play a final at Wimbledon, honestly, I can’t believe it,” he said.
But it didn’t take long for Alcaraz to turn his attention to the looming specter of the unstoppable force known as Novak Djokovic, his opponent in Sunday’s final.
“Honestly, all I can say is, I’m going to enjoy this amazing moment for me and it's time to keep dreaming,” he said as he looked forward to the dream final that many had envisaged since the day the Wimbledon draws were released.
Friday’s dream was achieved almost on a whim. Alcaraz had every answer for the Medvedev game on Friday. He limited the Russian to just five aces and took apart his second serve, winning 23 of 33 second-serve return games to create constant pressure.
Medvedev, who hammered 28 aces in his previous match, a five-set win over unseeded American Chris Eubanks, couldn’t make an impact on Alcaraz in the same way. The Spaniard attacked the net with precision, winning 27 of 35 points there, and deployed his variety simultaneously with his explosive power to maintain the upper hand.
There was a dip in the third set, in which Alcaraz stopped hitting his targets and was broken twice, but he answered by breaking Medvedev four times to seal his victory in a blink-and-you-missed it 109 minutes.
“It was really really difficult to close the match,” Alcaraz said on court. “It's never easy. You have to be really focused – obviously, Daniil didn’t want to lose, he fought until the last ball. He's an amazing fighter. I had to show my best in that tough moment, I had play aggressive and play my game all the time – that was the key to closing that match.”
Alcaraz will next take on to the toughest task in tennis: facing Novak Djokovic, the man who has not lost on Wimbledon’s Centre Court in over ten years. Earlier on Friday Djokovic quickly dispatched Italy’s Jannik Sinner for his 34th consecutive Wimbledon and 45th consecutive Centre Court win.
In their last (and only previous) Grand Slam showdown, Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in the semifinals at Roland-Garros, with the pair hotly contesting the opening two sets before the 20-year-old Spaniard suffered cramps and wilted in the June swelter.
It was a regrettable turn of events for Alcaraz, but one that he has no doubt dealt with in his head. At 20, it’s normal for experience, be it physical or mental, to be a barrier. Alcaraz, who said that nerves and the pressure of the moment played a part in his physical breakdown in Paris, hopes he can prove once again that he is a fast learner as he aims to be a more commanding presence against Djokovic on Sunday.
“What can I say? Everybody knows the legend he is,” the Spaniard said of Djokovic. “It's gonna be really, really difficult. But I will, I will fight.”
The pair have met twice in total, splitting their two contests, which both came on clay.
Djokovic, now 92-10 lifetime at these Championships as he bids to tie Roger Federer on Wimbledon’s all-time men’s singles titles list with eight, certainly holds all the experience on grass.
There is pressure on the Serbian at Wimbledon, to be sure, as he bids to win his 24th major singles title, a number that has only previously been reached by Australia's Margaret Court. And there is a blossoming phenom to be dealt with as well.
“He's so young, but he's incredibly consistent now, also on grass,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz. “He's been incredibly successful in adapting to the surfaces and demands and challenges of opponents on a given day.
“Yes, I do have more experience playing in many more Grand Slam or Wimbledon finals than him. Still he's in great shape. He's very motivated. He's young. He's hungry.
“I'm hungry, too, so let's have a feast.”
Alcaraz is 14-2 lifetime on grass, and 10-2 lifetime at Wimbledon in his three appearances. It’s a limited body of work, but enough to demonstrate that he is well-suited for success on the surface.
He may be young – he is bidding to become the youngest men’s champion at Wimbledon since Boris Becker in 1986 - but he is certainly not short on self-belief.
“I will believe in myself,” he said. “I will believe that I can beat him here. It’s gonna be a really tough challenge for me but I'm ready for this. I dreamed, since I started playing tennis, to play a [Wimbledon] final, but it’s even more special playing against Novak.
“It’s a final, it’s not a time to be afraid, it’s not a time to be tired, I will go for it, and let's see.”