Alcaraz Set up Wimbledon Final Rematch with Djokovic
• Paaolini, Krejcikova eye maiden all-England club win
Wimbledon 2024
Defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz stormed back to defeat Daniil Medvedev and next faces seven-time winner Novak Djokovic in tomorrow’s final.
Third seed Alcaraz found himself 5-2 down during the first set on Centre Court, which Medvedev eventually claimed on a tie-break.
The Spaniard had struggled with his serve throughout the Championships, but eventually found his radar to level before he produced his best for the key moments in sets three and four to clinch a 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory in just under three hours.
Djokovic has set up a repeat of the 2023 Wimbledon final after he ended Lorenzo Musetti’s best Grand Slam run at the semi-final stage 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-4.
Alcaraz was briefly jokingly booed during his on-court interview after he made reference to Sunday’s Euro 2024 final between England and Spain.
“It will be a good day for Spanish people as well,” defending champion Alcaraz bravely said when asked to look ahead to his own final.
Boos followed before Alcaraz countered with a smile: “I didn’t say Spain is going to win but I say it will be a fun, fun day.
“Obviously it will be a really difficult match. Let’s see who I am going to play on Sunday.
“I feel like I am not new anymore. Yeah, I know how I am going to feel before the final. I have been in this position before, I will try to not do the things I did wrong last year, I will try to be better and try to keep doing the right things.
“I started really, really nervous. Daniil was dominating the match, playing great tennis. It was difficult for me.
“I tried to pull out all the nerves in the second set and it was helpful to be up 3-1. After that I could start to put out my game. I think in the end I played a really good match.”
Meanwhile, a first Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles title beckons for either Jasmine Paolini or Barbora Krejcikova in a final to savour.
This is uncharted territory for Paolini, having won her first WTA main-draw match at Eastbourne this year, while Krejcikova carries onto Centre Court the memories of her coach and beloved late Wimbledon champion, Jana Novotna.
Paolini, 28, has been quietly building momentum this year, winning a WTA 1000 level title in Dubai, before making the French Open final last month.
She becomes the fifth player since 1999 and the first since Serena Williams (2016) to reach the singles finals at both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
The Italian was involved in a tense last-four encounter, battling past an emotional Donna Vekic after a final set tie-break that heralded the longest women’s semi-final in Wimbledon history.
