Champion Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another sluggish start and advanced to another Wimbledon final with his victory over defeated Daniil Medvedev.
The 21-year-old Spaniard lost the first set in Friday’s semifinal for the third time at the Championships, but once again this prompted him to step up a gear and race to victory with a score of 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
His victory, which was far harder fought than his straight-sets win over the Russian at the same stage last year, has opened up the prospect of another final against Novak Djokovic, who was due to face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the other semi-final on Centre Court later on Friday.
And it sets the stage for a big day of sport on Sunday, when Alcaraz will play his final just hours before the 2024 European Football Championship final between Spain and England.
“With the European Championships, it will be a really good day for the Spanish as well,” said Alcaraz, whose mention of the big match inevitably provoked a lively reaction with many boos mixed with laughter from the crowd on Centre Court.
This prompted Alcaraz to quickly add to bring them back on side: “I didn’t say Spain was going to win. I just said it was going to be a really fun day!”
Alcaraz was not at his best throughout the tournament and this was again the case against the number 5 seed, as he mixed a selection of the most spectacular shots with careless errors.
But just like the rest of the tournament, Alcaraz stepped up his game after losing the first sets against Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul and ended up dominating with a total of 55 winners to offset his 37 unforced errors in a thrilling match that lasted just under five minutes under three hours.
“I’m happy to be playing outdoors again,” said Alcaraz, who had to spend most of the rest of the tournament under the roof of Center Court due to the incessant rain.
“Different conditions, but I’m really happy with my performance today. I was nervous at the beginning and it was difficult for me, but after I took a 3-1 lead in the second set, I moved pretty well and played a pretty good match.
“I tried to do different things, tried not to play long rallies, tried not to play his game, but it was difficult to break through the wall.”
Before the wall actually collapsed, Medvedev was perhaps lucky that he was not ruled unfair in the first set after referee Eva Asderaki gave him a violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Asderaki ruled that Medvedev had missed a drop shot from Alcaraz before the latter bounced twice, leading to a break for the Spaniard, after which the Russian responded with an angry tirade against the referee.
That prompted Asderaki-Moore to get up from her chair and take the rare step of speaking to the umpire and the coach before ultimately giving Medvedev just a warning. Replays showed she made the right decision.
Before the match, Medvedev had complained that Alcaraz could hit winners from anywhere on the court. He was reminded of that in the final three sets, even though the Spaniard made some casual showman-style misses, including a comical attempt at a smash drop shot that fell into the net.
Nevertheless, Alcaraz was only one match away from securing the rare double victory across the English Channel (French Open and Wimbledon) and his fourth Grand Slam title.