London (England): Carlos Alcaraz is only a couple of months past his 21st birthday, and yet this whole Grand Slam success thing is already a bit been-there, done-that for him. Moving a step closer to a second consecutive Wimbledon trophy and fourth major championship overall, Alcaraz overcame a shaky start on Friday to beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7(1) 6-3 6-4 6-4 in the semifinals at Centre Court.
Like last year, his opponent in Sunday's title match will be Novak Djokovic, who advanced with a 6-4 7-6(2) 6-4 victory against No. 25 seed Lorenzo Musetti. Djokovic won 15 of 16 points when he went to the net in the first set and finished 43 for 56 in that category. It'll be the first time the same two men meet in consecutive Wimbledon finals since Djokovic beat Roger Federer in 2014 and 2015.
Djokovic, who hadn't reached a final at any tournament all season and needed surgery in June for a torn meniscus in his right knee, will be vying for his eighth championship at the All England Club. That would tie Federer's mark for the most by a man and put him one behind Martina Navratilova's record of nine while making the 37-year-old from Serbia the first player in tennis history with a career total of 25 Grand Slam titles.
Late in Djokovic's semifinal, as he let his first three match points slip away, fans hoping for a longer match began chanting "Lo-ren-zo!" One yelled out during a point, bothering Djokovic, who soon was wiping away fake tears mockingly after Musetti failed to convert a break chance in the last game. The No. 2-seeded Djokovic who got a walkover in the quarterfinals when his opponent, Alex de Minaur, withdrew with a hip injury eventually worked his way into his 10th final at Wimbledon and 37th at a major.
After a so-so opening set against Medvedev, Alcaraz transformed back into the energetic, attacking, crowd-pleasing force who already was the first teenager to be No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is the youngest man to have won a major trophy on three surfaces: grass, clay and hard courts. Now the Spaniard is one victory away from joining Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open era, which began in 1968, with 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.
Indeed, Medvedev grabbed an early 5-2 lead but then got into trouble with his play and his temper. Alcaraz broke to get within 5-4 with a drop shot that chair umpire Eva Asderaki ruled correctly, according to TV replays bounced twice before Medvedev got his racket on the ball. He voiced his displeasure, and Asderaki, after climbing down from her seat to huddle with tournament referee Denise Parnell during the ensuing changeover, issued a warning to Medvedev for unsportsmanlike conduct.
He regrouped quickly and was just about perfect in that set's tiebreaker. Then it was Alcaraz's turn to get headed in the right direction, which didn't take long. He got the last break he would need for a 4-3 edge in the fourth when Medvedev sailed a backhand long, then sat in his sideline chair, locked eyes with his two coaches and started muttering and gesticulating.
Nearly every time Alcaraz emitted one of his "Uh-eh!" two-syllable grunts while unleashing a booming forehand, spectators audibly gasped, regardless of whether the point continued. Often enough, it didn't: Alcaraz had 24 forehand winners, 20 more than Medvedev. In addition to the Wimbledon men's final, Sunday's sports schedule features the final of the men's soccer European Championship in Germany, where Spain will meet England.
Read More
