Before the Wimbledon semifinals, Juan Carlos Ferrero hinted that his pupil Carlos Alcaraz has reached the point of no return in the takeoff of any legend: now he wins on good days, on bad days, and even on regular days. Said and done. Against Daniil Medvedev, this Friday, Alcaraz was only the best Alcaraz at times and yet, he dominated the scoreboard to win 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, and 6-4 and qualify for his second final at the London Grand Slam, the second consecutive one, the second that will face the most decorated tennis player of all time, Novak Djokovic. A historic challenge.
At 21 years old, this Sunday the Spaniard will seek his fourth major, which would equal him with Manolo Santana, Guillermo Vilas, or Jim Courier, with the maturity of the chosen ones: now he advances no matter what happens. "Honestly, I've had better matches. This season I have played better than today several times, and in this same Wimbledon, I have seen myself better. For example, against Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, I would say my level of tennis was higher. The style of my opponent also influenced, the shots he made me play, but against Daniil, I could have played better," Alcaraz acknowledged while also stating that he was not overly concerned: "I go to the final feeling good, I know how I can play."
In his words, there was a lot of humility in recognizing the mistakes made and, at the same time, a precise analysis of what happened. Because, unlike the previous year, Alcaraz barely needed his superlative version, the one that has amazed the tennis world for three years. It was not a success due to effectiveness, not even accuracy, it was a matter of imagination. Completely shaved, in an image he hadn't shown for months, and accompanied by his entire family, who will stay in London until Sunday, the current world number three needed all his range of shots to dismantle Medvedev's grinding defensive game. Now a sliced shot, now a high ball, a touch here, another touch there, and of course, drop shots, many drop shots. In the end, the Russian could do nothing but surrender.
"Against Daniil, I knew I couldn't get into long exchanges, of more than 10 shots. I had to vary the shots a lot and try to shorten the points so that he didn't feel comfortable," said the Spaniard, who greatly improved during the match. In the last three sets, he was the dominator he is, the fifth man this century to string together finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon behind Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray - no small feat - but the first set went awry.
A rough start, a brilliant ending
With no more explanation than his nerves and Medvedev's game, he had many problems with his serve - in that set, he hovered around 40% first serves -, moved hesitantly on the court, and failed at crucial points - two out of eight on break points. Coming back from two breaks down and reaching the tie-break was a vain effort because everything went wrong in that sudden death. But then, suddenly, poof!, the genie came out of the lamp.
In the early moments of the second set, Medvedev took a step back, and Alcaraz took over the entire court. Improving with his serve - he only gave one more break opportunity in the entire match -, running from side to side like a sprinter, and refining his accuracy - he made 15 unforced errors in the first set, and 20 in the other three -, he began to dance as only he knows how to. It was then that he displayed all his arsenal of resources on the grass, the drop shots, the passing shots, and even that crazy lob between the legs to which he seems so accustomed. In the last set, Medvedev was panting because once again, as also happened last year in the semifinals, he had nothing to do.
"I'm looking forward to playing the final. I know what it's like to be in that position, I know how to deal with everything that will happen until I step onto the court, and I believe I have the level to play," commented the current world number three, who rejected the role of favorite despite having won last year in a historic five-set match and despite Djokovic's recent knee injury. This Friday, Djokovic overcame Italian Lorenzo Musetti with the ease of his happiest days (6-4, 7-6 [3], 6-4). "I suppose there will be many people who believe I have more chances because Djokovic came to the tournament with doubts, but if he is in the final, it's because he's recovered. He knows much better what it's like to play a Wimbledon final, he knows much better than me what it's like to win it, so he's more prepared than me," Alcaraz downplayed.
Today, on the eve of the final, the Spaniard probably won't train, as he did before the semifinals, and will go play golf with his team at the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club. With his younger brothers Jaime and Sergio by his side in London, he will have plenty of entertainment to keep his mind off tennis, and if not, he can distract himself with the Eurocup final between Spain and England and with his already classic lucky call with Álvaro Morata. "I hope it's a great day for the Spaniards," Alcaraz wished at the All England Club's Center Court, and for that, he received some boos. If it's not a great day, it will be a regular one or even a bad one, but he has already shown that he can make history regardless.