“Like an octopus,” he admits. carlos alcaraz when i hear your name Daniel Medvedev. “He does almost everything well,” adds Murcian, well aware that he will face his fiercest opponent this Friday on the road. Wimbledon and also the most experienced: the Russian is the only person he’s faced who knows what it means to win a Grand Slam.
He did so at the 2021 US Open by utilizing Novak Djokovic, who was devastated by anxiety to be one game away from completing the Grand Slam in men’s tennis, a feat achieved only by Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969. Medvedev overcame an obstacle that has resisted many other tennis players of his generation.Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime are just a few of them. He was crowned number one and eventually aspires to overthrow the ‘Big Three’ tyranny. But there was a moment threw them all to the ground. Australia 2022 final. Rafael Nadal from Moscow scored 6-2, 7-6 (5) and 3-2 40-0 with Nadal’s serve. He was one point and two games away from adding his second consecutive Grand Slam and putting two members of the fantastic trio ahead. It was a high point in his career, but as you know, the Spaniard upped that game and mentally ruined the Russian, who had a 2022 that he had to forget about the expectations he had created.
Not a single Masters has reached the 1,000 final, dropped to the last 16 at Roland Garros and the US Open (could not play Wimbledon due to ban on Russians and Belarusians) and did not advance beyond the group stage in the ATP Finals. It’s out of the world’s top five and its effervescence has evaporated. At the beginning of 2023 Melbourne also did not bring back good memories and lost to Sebastian Korda in the third round, making him his first ‘top ten’ in two and a half years. Big enough to think about it Medvedev hesitated and that he would be like one of those tennis players who collapsed after reaching the pinnacle of his success.
And it was just the opposite. Moscow’s Rotterdam took Doha and Dubai in one fell swoop; defeating Djokovic in the second. Indian Wells lost to Alcaraz in the final and took the final in Miami. He won 27 of the 29 matches and went on the clay court tour, where he started a personal battle against the clay court. “I don’t like to eat dirt. I don’t know if others like it, but I don’t. I’m full of dirt on my shoes and socks…” complaints made room in Monte Carlo, third round in Madrid and won in Rome. Enough results to be awarded as a favourite at Roland Garros.
a nightmare on earth
He was disappointed and lost in the first round against world number 172 Thiago Seyboth Wild in Paris, but Medvedev was happy. “I’m glad the world is ending“pushed the Russian, who had not had a big lap on the turf ahead of Wimbledon, with a loss in the first round of s’Hertogenbosch and in the quarterfinals at Halle.
However course set at Wimbledon. A win over Arthur Fery, Adrian Mannarino, Marton Fucsovics, Jiri Lehecka and Christopher Eubanks before facing the man who only allowed him to play five games against him in the Indian Wells final. Praising Alcaraz, Medvedev replied, “I don’t think this match will mean much here. That field was very slow, service is more important here. I couldn’t get free points by serving there,” replied Medvedev.
“It’s very interesting to play against Carlos. He’s an incredible player and he’s only 20 years old. His strength (most notable) We all wondered if he could find a way to miss less using the same power. And he did.”
“He is very tall and plays very well in the grass“, Alcaraz replies. “He’s having a great year and I’ve already lost our first game on this surface, so I need to learn from him. He is very complete, I think Rublev said it several times: he is like an octopus, he takes all the balls. He’s an amazing athlete.”
Winners for both at the All England Club, these semi-finals will mark the third duel between the two tennis players. The first was taken by Medvedev in the second round of Wimbledon 2021, when Alcaraz was just 18 and played the first game of his life in five sets, and the second was with the Spaniards in the aforementioned Indian Wells final. already among the best in the world.