Like last year, the Wimbledon final is Carlos Alcaraz versus Novak Djokovic!
After the Spaniard booked his final ticket against Daniil Medvedev (match report >>>), Djokovic continued suit late on Friday evening as well.
The second Serbian world number defeated the 25th Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6:4, 7:6 (2), 6:4.
Djokovic could draw level with tennis legend Roger Federer for his eighth title win.
In Sunday’s final, the Serbian is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title. If he manages this, he will be the only record holder across genders.
Djokovic’s entry into the final was a surprise
The 37-year-old was not necessarily capable of such a successful run after suffering a torn meniscus in the round of 16 of the French Open and thus undergoing surgery. He plays at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club with a bandage on his right knee – but it doesn’t seem to bother him. On Sunday, Djokovic wants to hold the trophy for his eighth Wimbledon victory in his hands and finally celebrate his first victory in the tournament in a year that has been disappointing for him so far.
“There was a lot of doubt” whether he would even be able to participate in the tournament, Djokovic reiterated in recent weeks. He left the start open until the draw. But his dream of winning Wimbledon again was ultimately stronger. “Wimbledon was always my childhood dream, to play here and win,” said Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in a five-set marathon in the 2023 final. “I was a seven-year-old boy in Serbia, I saw the bombs at flew over my head and I imagined I was standing here on Center Court at Wimbledon. I made Wimbledon trophies in my room out of every imaginable material.”
Musetti finds no cure for Djokovic
The world number two confidently met the challenge against the extremely talented foreigner Musetti (ATP number 25). He had an answer for everything that came from the 22-year-old Italian. The deciding factor was the tiebreak of the second set, in which Djokovic was, as often, unusable. After two and three quarter hours he used his fourth match point. A few weeks ago he needed five sets against Musetti in Paris – and he later paid with the knee injury.
Alcaraz and Medvedev had a tough exchange of blows with four missed serves and plenty of back and forth in the first set. Medvedev obviously won the tiebreak 7:1. The atmosphere rose briefly when Medvedev received a warning from referee Eva Asderaki for unsportsmanlike conduct at the break at the end of the first set. The referee called the supervisor because Medvedev had apparently cursed.
The Russian resistance continued in the second set, but a break to 1:3 was too much against the increasingly strong Spaniards. After that, Alcaraz seemed to have the momentum on his side. In rounds three and four, the Spanish world number three met the winner of the 2021 US Open early. In the fourth set, Medvedev managed to break back immediately, but that was the last gasp. Alcaraz won after 2:55 hours and is in the Grand Slam final for the fourth time.
“I tried to shake all the nerves at the beginning of the second set. It helped a lot to be 3-1 up, after that I was able to play my own game and enjoy the match a little more,” Alcaraz said during the on-court interview. “Overall I think I played a very good game,” he said.
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