Carlos Alcaraz elevated his game to defeat 5th seed Daniil Medvedev on Friday, 12 June at Wimbledon 2024. Despite a shaky start in the men’s singles semi-finals, Alcaraz showed resilience to reach his second consecutive Wimbledon final. After losing the first set, he rallied to win 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Alcaraz will face either Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti in the final on Sunday, 14 July.
Initially, Alcaraz struggled with his first serve and missed easy forehand winners. However, he displayed his trademark fighting spirit after dropping the first set. Medvedev’s argument with the chair umpire over a disputed call seemed to disrupt his focus, giving Alcaraz an edge.
The winning moment ?
Just listen to @carlosalcaraz and the Centre Court crowd erupt ?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/PczPKRBVa5
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2024
In the second set, Alcaraz made technical adjustments, such as hitting higher forehands and improving his serves. His relentless effort and strategic net play paid off, unsettling Medvedev. Alcaraz’s varied shot selection kept Medvedev off-balance, ultimately securing his victory.
Alcaraz attacked the net more often than Medvedev and was rewarded for his incredible speed and supple forehand drop shots. At one point, Alcaraz was mixing his shots so well that he consistently threw Medvedev off-balance, who kept going the other way in net exchanges.
The third set saw Alcaraz in full flow, dominating the rallies. The Spaniard forced Medvedev to the extreme widths of the court and then played drop shots into the net. As the momentum of the match completely swayed to Alcaraz, the 21-year-old started to hype up the crowd, who responded enthusiastically.
Another angle capturing the moment @carlosalcaraz sealed his spot in the final ?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/37RY2DrqXX
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2024
After winning the third set comfortably and on his own terms by raising his game, it seemed Alcaraz would roll over Medvedev. However, Medvedev brought some variety into his stroke-making, which meant that neither player could hold their serves.
Ultimately, it was too little, too late for the Russian player, who lost the fourth and final set 6-4, crashing out of the tournament.
