(Tennis news) The victory against Daniil Medvedev by Carlos Alcaraz on Friday made him the fourth-youngest Wimbledon men’s singles finalist in the Open Era (since 1968), and also set up a matchup with Novak Djokovic for the championship that will determine who will be No. 1 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.
The 20-year-old Spaniard, who was playing on Centre Court beneath the cover, used his exquisite touch and destructive power to advance to the title round at SW19, joining two-time champion Rafael Nadal and 1966 champion Manuel Santana.
“It was a dream for me, playing a semi-final here, and now playing a final here at Wimbledon, I can’t believe it. I am going to enjoy this amazing moment,” Alcaraz said.
“It was really, really difficult to close the match. I had to be really, really focused. He fought until the last ball. He is an amazing fighter. I had to show my best in that tough moment and play aggressively. Be myself all the time and I think that was the key to close out the match,” he added.
In a commanding one-hour, 49-minute performance at SW19, the World No. 1 blasted 27 winners, broke Medvedev’s serve six times, and repeatedly elicited gasps from the audience.
Alcaraz tied Medvedev for the most victories on the Tour this year with his 46th tour-level triumph of the year. When he plays seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic in the championship match, the 2022 US Open champion will try to overtake the third seed. After the Serbian beat the Spaniard in the Roland Garros semifinals last month, Alcaraz and Djokovic are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head to Head series.
“It is going to be incredibly difficult but I will fight,” Alcaraz said when asked about facing Djokovic.
“I believe in myself and I will believe that I can beat him here. He hasn’t lost on this court since 2013, so it is going to be a really tough challenge for me. I have dreamed since I started playing to play a final here and it is even more special playing against Novak. It is the final. There is no time to be afraid, be tired. I will go for it,” he added.
Carlos Alcaraz, who is going for his second major, has only four career victories on grass going into the 2023 season. Following his victory at The Queen’s Club in the previous month, he has now won his last 11 games played on grass.
Daniil Medvedev, on the other hand, was attempting to reach his first Wimbledon final; prior to this year, his best performance was a run to the fourth round. In the ATP Live Race to Turin, the third seed, who won his sole Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2021, moves up one spot after leaving London.
Carlos Alcaraz, 20, is the seventh man to make multiple major finals before turning 21 in the Open Era.
Also read: Carlos ALcaraz to play Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon 2023
