Champion: Carlos Alcaraz © Glyn KIRK / AFP
London (AFP) – Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and seven-time winner Novak Djokovic can set-up a Wimbledon final blockbuster on Friday although Daniil Medvedev and Lorenzo Musetti hope to gatecrash the All England Club party.
Carlos Alcaraz, 21, is bidding to reach his fourth Grand Slam final before setting his sights on becoming only the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back.
Twelve months ago, he defeated Djokovic in a five-set Wimbledon final having seen off Medvedev in straight sets in the semi-final.
It has been an uneven Wimbledon for the Spanish world number three.
He was pushed to five sets by Frances Tiafoe in the third round and then needed four sets to see off Ugo Humbert and Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz holds a 4-2 head-to-head lead over Medvedev, a player he likened to “a wall, every ball bounces back”.
Medvedev is looking to reach a seventh Slam final.
The fifth-ranked Russian, a former US Open champion, stunned top seed Jannik Sinner in five sets in the quarter-finals, gaining revenge for his defeat to the Italian in January’s Australian Open final.
“It’s tough to play against Carlos because you know whatever shot you hit, he can hit a winner from there,” said Medvedev.
That was music to the ears of Alcaraz.
“I’m glad that my opponents think that. That means they have to be really focus on every shot,” he said.
Medvedev has hit 64 aces to Alcaraz’s 52 so far. He has dropped served eight times while Alcaraz has seen his service games breached 16 times.
Djokovic has equalled Roger Federer’s mark by reaching a 13th Wimbledon semi-final and is two wins from matching the Swiss star’s record of eight singles titles at the All England Club.
Victory on Friday would take him to a 10th final at the tournament and 37th at the Slams.
At 37, Djokovic could also become the oldest champion of the modern era, an impressive achievement for a man who underwent knee surgery as recently as last month.
This season he has lost his Australian Open and French Open titles and has yet to make a final on tour.
He was handed a free pass into Friday’s last-four when Alex de Minaur withdrew from their scheduled quarter-final with a hip injury.
The Serb has been in feisty mood at Wimbledon accusing fans of disrespecting him in his last-16 win over Holger Rune.
“If somebody steps over the line, I react,” he said.
Djokovic has a 5-1 winning record over Musetti, including a come-from-behind five-set victory at the French Open last month.
That third-round match set the record for the latest finish at Roland Garros, with Djokovic completing victory at 3:07 in the morning.
Musetti, 22, also took Djokovic the distance in their first meeting at Roland Garros in 2021, when the Italian won the opening two sets of their last-16 tie before injury scuppered his hopes in the decider.
“He’s a legend, but especially here at Wimbledon,” said Musetti ahead of his Centre Court debut where he was allowed to practice on Friday morning.
“I expect a big fight. It’s one of the toughest challenges. But I’m an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged.”
Djokovic described Musetti as a “a very talented player”.
“He has a beautiful one-handed backhand, he’s very quick, Djokovic told the BBC.
If Musetti reaches the final, it will be the first time in history that Italian players have reached the men’s and women’s singles finals at a Grand Slam.
Jasmine Paolini will play the women’s final against Barbora Krejcikova on Saturday.
