LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz has only been 21 months since he turned 21, but all this Grand Slam success is already a bit of déjà vu for him.
One step closer to a second consecutive victory Wimbledon trophy and fourth major championship in total, Alcaraz overcame a difficult start Friday to beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals on Centre Court.
“I don’t feel like a new recruit anymore. I know how I’m going to feel before the final. I’ve been in this situation before,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to try to do the things I did well last year and improve.”
Like last year, his opponent in Sunday’s title match will be Novak Djokovicwho advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over No. 25 seed Lorenzo Musetti. Djokovic won 15 of 16 points when he went to the net in the first set and finished 43 of 56 in that category.
It will be the first time the same two men have met in consecutive Wimbledon finals since Djokovic beat Roger Federer in 2014 and 2015.
“He’s as complete a player as you can imagine,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz, who won the 2023 final in five sets. “I’m going to have to give my best on the court to beat him.”
Djokovic, who had not reached the final of any tournament all season and had to undergo surgery in June to a torn meniscus in his right kneewill be competing for his eighth title at the All England Club. That would equal Federer’s record for most titles won by a man and put him one point shy of Martina Navratilova’s nine. The 37-year-old Serb would also become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam titles.
“I know what I have to do,” Alcaraz said. “I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me.”
Late in the semi-final, as Djokovic let his first three match points slip away, fans hoping for a longer match began chanting “Lo-ren-zo!” One of them shouted during a point, unnerving Djokovic, who was soon mockingly wiping away fake tears after Musetti failed to convert a break chance in the final game.
The No. 2 seed, Djokovic, who was forced out of the quarterfinals when his opponent, Alex de Minaur, withdrew with a hip injury, ultimately managed to reach his 10th Wimbledon final and 37th at a major tournament.
“I don’t want to stop there,” Djokovic said. “I hope I can get my hands on that trophy.”
Musetti said it did not appear Djokovic was bothered by his knee, which was covered by a gray sleeve.
“He showed that he is in really great shape, not only in tennis, but also physically,” said Musetti, who was appearing in a major semi-final for the first time.
After a middling first set against Medvedev, Alcaraz reverted to the energetic, attacking, crowd-pleasing force who was already the first teenager to be No. 1 in the ATP rankings and the youngest man to win a major trophy on three surfaces: grass, clay and hard courts.
The Spaniard is now just one win away from joining Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open era, which began in 1968, to have won multiple championships at the All England Club before turning 22.
Alcaraz also triumphed at the US Open in 2022 and the French Open last month and is 3-0 in major finals.
“We’re going to see him very often in the future, that’s for sure,” Djokovic said. “He’s going to win many more Grand Slams.”
On a cloudy afternoon, Alcaraz, the No. 3 seed, had an up-and-down matchup against No. 5 seed Medvedev, a 28-year-old Russian.
” I started out really, really nervous“, Alcaraz said. “He dominated the game.”
Indeed, Medvedev took an early 5-2 lead, but then he had problems with his game and temperament.
Alcaraz broke back to 5-4 with a drop shot that bounced twice, according to chair umpire Eva Asderaki, who correctly judged, according to replays, before Medvedev got his racket on the ball. He voiced his displeasure and Asderaki, after getting off her chair to huddle with tournament referee Denise Parnell during the ensuing change of ends, cautioned Medvedev for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I said something in Russian. Not unpleasant, but not exaggerated,” Medvedev said at his press conference.
He quickly recovered and was almost perfect in the tie-break of this set.
It was then Alcaraz’s turn to make the right move, which didn’t take long. He got the last break he needed to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth round when Medvedev unleashed a backhand long, then sat down in his chair sideways, locked eyes with his two coaches and began mumbling and gesticulating.
“I played well,” Medvedev said, “but it was not enough.”
Almost every time Alcaraz let out one of his two-syllable “Uh-eh!” grunts while unleashing a thunderous forehand, the crowd gasped audibly, whether the point continued or not. More often than not, it didn’t: Alcaraz hit 24 forehand winners, 20 more than Medvedev.
In addition to the Wimbledon men’s final, Sunday’s sports programme includes the final of the Men’s European Football Championship in Germany, where Spain will meet England.
When Alcaraz hinted at this during his on-pitch interview by saying: “It will also be a very good day for the Spanish people”, he was booed by the home side – perhaps his biggest faux pas of the day.
Alcaraz smiled and added: “I didn’t say Spain would win. I just said it would be a really fun day.”
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