As the Spanish national flag fluttered around the centre court at Wimbledon following the first Men’s Single Semi-Final, Carlos Alcaraz let out a cry of defiance with arms held wide open after becoming the second Spaniard to qualify for back-to-back Wimbledon at just 21 years of age following in his long-time idol Rafael Nadal’s footsteps.
His opponent, Daniil Medvedev was coming into this Semifinal clash high on confidence after beating the top seed in the competition, Yannick Sinner in the Quarterfinals. But in the back of his mind, the Russian would’ve been replaying last year’s Semifinals where he was thrashed by the same opponent in 3 simultaneous sets.
On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz hasn’t had a similar smooth ride to the top 4 as he had last year. It has been a much more challenging outing for the Spaniard this time. But against Medvedev, he showed the world that he was back to his best.
Not once throughout the fight, it felt as if Medvedev was actually in control. Even when the Russians won the first set of their Semifinal clash, it felt like it was a case of Carlos making mistakes rather than Medvedev playing top-notch tennis.
But after a Tiebreaker to decide the first set, which ended in his defeat, Carlos Alcaraz put the gas down. What ensued after was clinical Tennis. Something Medvedev seemed to lack throughout the match. Carlos kept being deceptive and made it clear that Medvedev was not at his level when Carlos was at his best. Carlos’ biggest weakness is his concentration loss, sometimes making him lose a point or two. Another weakness which is sometimes his biggest strength is his confidence in his non-conventional shots.
In Tennis, often a straightforward shot played to perfection can win you points. But Alcaraz has a different philosophy. He prefers to go out of the box sometimes and plays shots which guarantees him points. That difference between “can” and “guarantee” is what sets him apart. Except, this mindset can also backfire and he needs to develop a better understanding of when to go for these shots as he takes his game to the next stage.
But as the match progressed, Carlos kept reminding Medvedev how punishing indiscipline can prove to be in a gruelling sport like Tennis. Every time Medvedev found himself stranded away from the net to defend against the Spainiard’s forehand, Carlos would slice the ball over the net and make Medvedev come out of his comfort zone. Another strength in the Spaniard’s game is his ability to show intensity when it’s required the most. Something Medvedev and most others need to learn from the defending Wimbledon champion.
Carlos Alcaraz will now take on the winner of Lorenzo Musetti and Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final on Sunday. Either way, Alcaraz will be hoping to win his second Wimbledon title in as many years.
