Novak Djokovic is preparing to take on Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling repeat of the previous year’s Wimbledon championship game, after dismissing Lorenzo Musetti with ease. The seven-time titleholder proved his worth with a solid semi-final 6-4 7-6 (2) 6-4 victory that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.
At some point, a Centre Court jester shouted a sarcastic “gooood night”, referencing Djokovic’s previous misinterpretation of the audience’s apparent heckling following his fourth-round triumph over Holger Rune. Despite this, the 37-year-old remained unfazed and now seeks retribution against Alcaraz, the young Spaniard who snatched his championship a year prior.
“During the encounter, it’s a matter of outperforming your challenger,” Djokovic stated. “I am indeed pleased to be in another final, but I do not wish to halt my journey here. My goal is to lay my hands on that prestigious trophy.”
Djokovic’s final loss the prior year remains his sole loss in his past 50 matches on Centre Court. Conversely, Musetti, was making his debut on the largest stage Wimbledon has to offer.
In 2007, Djokovic participated in his first Wimbledon semi-final, while Musetti was then only five years old. After his quarter-final opponent, Alex De Minaur, withdrew due to an injury, Djokovic managed to rest his surgically repaired knee for three days.
The 24-time Grand Slam titleholder succeeded in breaking the first serve leading 4-2 and signaled the crowd for increased support. The masses complied but it was unrivaled to the uproar that followed Musetti’s serve break.
Musetti is a player who demands attention; creative, cunning with a pleasing one-handed backhand. Nevertheless, his over-ambitious drop-shot failed and Djokovic abruptly took the leading set. Musetti swiftly returned the favour, seizing the opportunity afforded by Djokovic’s double fault, capitalising on the second break point with an elegant backhand.
Djokovic managed to regain his serve flawlessly, overcoming a tricky situation at 5-5, 15-30 with a triad of aces, and swept through the tiebreak, which was momentarily interrupted by applause for an impressive round-the-net victory from Musetti. Djokovic was then two sets ahead.
Musetti’s spark was smothered by an early break in the third set, culminating with a backhand cross-court triumph, as Djokovic smoothly cruised into his 10th Wimbledon final.
After a strenuous battle against Daniil Medvedev, starting a set behind, Alcaraz is one victory away from his second consecutive Wimbledon title. This echoed last year’s semi-final, where Alcaraz was the victorious Spaniard, but Medvedev proved a tougher challenge, before Alcaraz secured a 6-7 (1) 6-3 6-4 6-4 win.
The 21-year-old is set to compete in a fourth major final and his second consecutive one, following his French Open victory last month. He intends to replicate last year’s phenomenal five-set victory against Djokovic.
Despite Medvedev’s commendable efforts, which included a quarter-final win against a visibly unwell Jannik Sinner, Medvedev was lucky not to be dismissed during the initial set. After umpire Eva Asderaki decided that Medvedev had failed to reach an Alcaraz drop shot before its second bounce, leading to a break of serve to Alcaraz, Medvedev responded with a seemingly expletive-laden outburst aimed at the official. An uncommon event ensued, where Asderaki spoke to the referee and supervisor before giving Medvedev a mere warning for unsporting behaviour.
When questioned on Tuesday about the challenges of facing Alcaraz, Medvedev, who had previously beaten the Spaniard at the US Open last summer, mentioned his ability to land winning shots from any part of the court. Instances of this were seen in the first game, where Medvedev barely managed to maintain his serve. However, Alcaraz has had his ups and downs this Wimbledon, as was evident in the first set.
Medvedev, recognised for his tendency to mingle among line judges, reformed his tactics, not only striving for a more assertive stance but also venturing to the net with unanticipated frequency. Despite not always reaping rewards, this approach unsettled Alcaraz, whose groundstrokes demonstrated a lack of rigour and an increased error rate on standard shots.
An array of these mistakes gifted Medvedev with a break in the fourth game. However, Alcaraz promptly retaliated, only to surrender his serve once more as his preferred drop shot failed him. Yet, when Medvedev served at 5-3, his miscalculation, which could lead to severe punishment, hit the right note.
Nevertheless, it was Medvedev who dictated the tie-break, launching with the first five points and concluding with a second serve of 121 mph. Alcaraz found his groove in the third game of the second set. The thunderous all-court rally ended in his favour, prompting him to gesture to the crowd for more cheer.
The third seed, with Real Madrid star Luka Modric in his box, made a triumphant exclamation when a forehand pass zoomed cross-court, scoring him the break for 3-1. Medvedev’s ventures to the net grew increasingly audacious and less common; instead, he focused on fending off the onslaught from the opposition.
Alcaraz engaged his crowd-wowing style, alternating between powerful groundstrokes and delicate drop shots that left Medvedev scrambling. His momentum continued in the third set, and despite disagreements with Asderaki’s ‘not up’ call, he merely gestured and carried on. Alcaraz’s performance saw a few unremarkable lapses, such as the overhead miss late in the set or the neglected game that allowed Medvedev to break back at the start of the fourth.
Still, these shortcomings were largely eclipsed by superb displays, and after two hours and 55 minutes, his triumphant match ended with Medvedev’s final forehand veering wide.