The tennis world was deprived of watching Carlos Alcaraz at his best when he faced Novak Djokovic last month in the French Open semifinals.
Ever since Alcaraz suffered cramps in that match and was unable to play competitively after the second set, a potential rematch at Wimbledon has been highly anticipated.
Now it is upon us and the world No. 1 ranking will be on the line.
“The match that the entire tennis world was hoping to see will happen on Sunday,” Patrick McEnroe said on ESPN. “It will be the No. 1 player in the world against the best player in the world, so something has to give.”
No. 1 Alcaraz set up the dream Wimbledon final against No. 2 Djokovic by completely dismantling No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, in 1 hour, 50 minutes in the second semifinal on Friday. Djokovic advanced earlier to his ninth Wimbledon final with a straight-sets win over No. 8 Jannik Sinner that marked his 34th straight win at Wimbledon and his 45th straight on Centre Court.
Now the only thing standing between a record-tying 24th major title, an eighth Wimbledon crown and a fifth straight championship for Djokovic is the 20-year-old Alcaraz. Djokovic is seeking the third leg of the calendar Slam as he bids to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win one.
“What can I say?” said Alcaraz, who is seeking his second major title in his second Slam final after winning the U.S. Open last summer at 19. “I mean, everybody knows the legend he is. It’s gonna be really, really difficult but I will fight, you know. That’s myself.
“I will believe in myself, I will believe that I can beat him here…It’s going to be a really tough challenge for me but I’m grateful for this. I dreamed since I started playing tennis to play a final like this, but it’s even more special to play against Novak. But it’s a final, it’s no time to be afraid. I will go for it and let’s see what happens.”
The young Spaniard completely dominated Medvedev with superior movement, strong net play and deft drop shots. He repeatedly served wide to Medvedev in the deuce court and then approached the net for short volley winners. Medvedev, who prefers to stand 15-20 feet behind the baseline, never adjusted as Alcaraz repeatedly tortured him with drop shots as well. Medvedev repeatedly looked at his coaching box with a flummoxed and frustrated look on his face.
In the first set, Alcaraz hit a service return winner for a break at 5-3 and then closed out the set on his serve.
In the second, the Spaniard broke the Russian again for 2-1 lead with service return winner. He broke again for 5-3 and held again for 6-3.
With Medvedev trailing by two sets and 3-0 in the third, ESPN’s Brad Gilbert said on air, “He’s just got him completely out of sorts at the moment.”
After giving up a break in the third set, Alcaraz closed it out on match point with a forehand passing shot winner before shaking hands at the net. It was his 46th match win this season, tying him with Medvedev for the most on the ATP Tour.
“This is a dream for me, playing semifinal here, be able to play a final here in Wimbledon, honestly I can’t believe it, you know?” Alcaraz said. “All I can say is I’m going to enjoy this amazing moment for me, and it’s time to keep dreaming.”
After firing off 28 aces and winning 79% of his first-serve points in his quarterfinal win over American Chris Eubanks, Medvedev managed just five against Alcaraz, who made him work by putting return after return in play. Alcaraz was 6-of-14 on break chances against the big-hitting Russian, who won just 34% of the points on his second serve.
Now comes the dream final of Djokovic vs. Alcaraz, with the 36-year-old determined to keep making history against a man 16 years his junior.
“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 and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of and it inspires me to play my best tennis,” Djokovic said after his quarterfinal win over Andrey Rublev.
“I know they want to get a scalp, they want to win, but it ain’t happening still.”