Alcaraz masters Medvedev again to seal Wimbledon final return

Carlos Alcaraz is on the brink of back-to-back titles on the grass of Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old Spaniard rallied past Daniil Medvedev 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday afternoon to reach the championship match at the London major. Alcaraz kept his cool after struggling to find his best level in the opening set and raised his game, particularly on serve, to seal a two-hour, 55-minute triumph on Centre Court.

“I’m really happy about my performance today,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “I started really nervously. He was dominating the match, playing great tennis with his serve and his return game.

“It was difficult for me but I tried to push out the nerves at the beginning of the second set. It was really helpful to be up 3-1 and after that I could play my own game and enjoy the match a little bit more. I tried to hit great shots, I moved well, so in general I think I played a pretty good match.”

BACK IN THE FINAL 💪@carlosalcaraz moves to the brink of back-to-back Wimbledon titles after defeating Medvedev in 4 sets 🔥@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xORyOkg0yX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 12, 2024

Alcaraz, who also defeated Medvedev in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, next potentially faces a rematch of his epic 2023 final against Novak Djokovic. The Serbian faces 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the other semi-final as he continues his bid to equal Roger Federer’s record eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles.

Alcaraz is 3-0 in Grand Slam finals after his triumphs at the 2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon and 2024 Roland Garros, which made him the youngest man to win a major on all three surfaces. If he can successfully defend his title at SW19 on Sunday, the Spaniard will be just the sixth player to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year after Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

“I feel like I’m not new anymore. I know how I’m going to feel before the final,” said Alcaraz when asked about possible pre-final nerves. “I’ve been in this position before and I will try to do the things that I did to win last year. I will try to be better and try to do the things that went well… It’s going to be a really difficult match. Lorenzo and Novak are playing great tennis. I’m going to watch their match and let’s see who I will play on Sunday.”

The way Alcaraz ended Friday's semi-final was in stark contrast to the opening set of tennis that he produced. He was uncharacteristically wayward with his drop shots and landed just 48 per cent (16/33) of his first serves. Despite clinching two breaks of serve of his own to force a tie-break, Medvedev cruised through it to claim an early lead.

The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz immediately improved the execution of his shots to start the second set. He clinched the only break of serve of the set in the fourth game, and another early break in the third brought him within a set of victory. Although Medvedev did not let his head drop and reclaimed an early break in fourth, Alcaraz’s ability to disrupt the rhythm of the rallies proved crucial.

The Spaniard broke serve for the sixth time in the match for 4-3 and went on to seal victory having struck 55 winners to his opponent‘s 31. With his win, Alcaraz improved his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Medvedev to 5-2.

“I tried to do different things. I tried to not play long rallies and tried to go to the net as much as I could, and tried to not play his game," said Alcaraz, who rose above Alexander Zverev into second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating Medvedev. "Obviously, there were a few points with really long rallies, but I tried to play my own game, not go past 10 or 12 shots in the points. It was difficult to break the wall.”

Despite the disappointment of defeat, Medvedev was quick to credit his opponent after delivering a markedly improved semi-final appearance to a year ago.

“Tough, tough match," said the World No. 5 in his post-match press conference. "Carlos played well. I feel like the plan I came up with was working not so bad. The match was much closer than last year, but he's tough to play. I felt like I was serving good, definitely not worse than the other matches. Only five aces.

"He seemed to touch almost every ball on the court, running well. I made some good points. I could have finished some maybe at the net, but didn't manage to do it."