José Alcaraz
When Carlos Alcaraz faced Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarterfinals last month, the tennis world was denied of seeing him at his finest.
A potential rematch at Wimbledon has been eagerly awaited ever since Alcaraz got cramping during that match and was unable to play competitively after the second set.
The time has come, and the top spot in the globe is at stake.
Patrick McEnroe stated on ESPN that the match that the entire tennis community was hoping to watch would take place on Sunday. “Something has to give because it’s going to be the No. 1 player in the world versus the best player in the world.”
With a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory against No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in Friday’s second semifinal, No. 1 Alcaraz secured his spot in the ideal Wimbledon final against No. 2 Djokovic.
With a straight-sets victory over No. 8 Jannik Sinner, which was his 34th consecutive victory at Wimbledon and his 45th consecutive victory on Centre Court, Djokovic advanced earlier to his eighth Wimbledon final.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz is now the only thing preventing Djokovic from winning his record-tying 24th major trophy, his eighth Wimbledon crown, and his fifth consecutive triumph.
In an effort to win one for the first time since Rod Laver in 1969, Djokovic is vying for the third leg of the calendar Slam.
Alcaraz, who is playing in his second Slam final and is vying for his second major championship after winning the U.S. Open at the age of 19, remarked, “What can I say?”Everyone is aware of his fabled status, after all. Although it will be extremely difficult, I shall persevere. I am that person.
“I’ll have confidence in myself, I’ll have faith that I can defeat him here…I will find this to be a tremendously difficult challenge, but I am appreciative of it.
I’ve always wanted to play in a tennis final, but playing against Novak makes it much more amazing. But since it’s the final, this is not the time to be terrified. Let’s see what happens if I go for it.
With stronger movement, excellent net play, and superb drop shots, the young Spaniard totally outplayed Medvedev. He frequently served wide to Medvedev in the deuce court before running to the net for successful short volleys.
As Alcaraz continually tortured him with drop shots as well, Medvedev, who tends to stay 15-20 feet behind the baseline, never adjusted.
With a bewildered and furious expression on his face, Medvedev kept staring at his coaching booth.
At 5-3 in the first set, Alcaraz broke the tie with a service return winner before serving out the remainder of the frame.
With a service return winner in the second, the Spaniard broke the Russian once more to take a 2-1 lead. He made a break for 5-3 once more and held for 6-3.
When Medvedev was down two sets to one and was down 3-0 in the third, ESPN’s Brad Gilbert commented on live, “He’s just got him completely out of sorts at the moment.”
In the third set, Alcaraz lost a break before winning it with a forehand passing shot winner and shaking hands at the net. In terms of ATP Tour victories, he is tied with Medvedev with 46 this year.
I honestly can’t believe it, but playing in this semifinal and getting to compete in a Wimbledon final is a dream come true for me. said Alcaraz.
All I can say is that I’m going to savor this incredible occasion for myself and that it’s time to start dreaming.
In his quarterfinal victory over American Chris Eubanks, Medvedev racked up 28 aces and won 79% of his first-serve points.
However, he only managed five against Alcaraz, who had him fight for every point by putting return after return into play. In break attempts versus the powerful Russian, who won just 34% of the points on his second serve, Alcaraz was 6-of-14.
The 36-year-old Djokovic is determined to continue making history against a player 16 years his junior in the upcoming dream final between him and Alcaraz.
Following his quarterfinal victory over Andrey Rublev, Djokovic said, “The pressure is paramount every single time I come out on the court, particularly here, the Centre Court of Wimbledon.
But at the same time, it awakens the most beautiful emotions in me, it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of, and it inspires me to play my best tennis.”
“I know they want to win and take a scalp, but it ain’t happening yet.”
