Tennis: Dream final: Djokovic and Alcaraz play for Wimbledon title

The exciting new edition of the dream final in Wimbledon is perfect. Record Grand Slam tournament winner Novak Djokovic and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will play for the second time in a row at the most traditional tennis tournament for the coveted trophy. Djokovic can set further milestones in his career on Sunday with his eighth Wimbledon triumph and his 25th Grand Slam title in total.

With a 6:4, 7:6 (7:2), 6:4 win against Italian Lorenzo Musetti, the 37-year-old reached the final of the prestigious grass tournament for the sixth time in a row. “I don’t want to stop here. Hopefully I can hold the trophy in my hands on Sunday,” said Djokovic, who will be playing in his 37th Grand Slam final: “It will take my best tennis to beat him.”

Strong after knee injury

French Open winner Alcaraz had previously prevailed in his semi-final after initial problems with a score of 6:7 (1:7), 6:3, 6:4, 6:4 against the Russian top player Daniil Medvedev. Twelve months ago, Alcaraz dethroned Djokovic in a high-class, thrilling final.

With a brilliant performance against Musetti, Djokovic continued his successful path, which had been considered unlikely after his knee injury. When he arrived in London eight days before the start of the tournament, he himself had doubts about whether he would even be able to compete because of the meniscus tear he suffered at the French Open.

Now, with another victory, the Serb would equal the Wimbledon record held by Swiss Roger Federer and become the all-time record holder for Grand Slam titles for men and women.

“Wimbledon has always been a childhood dream for me,” said the world number two. Against the bold and fearless semi-final debutant Musetti, the oldest player of the remaining quartet missed three match points at 5:3 in the third set, but then advanced confidently.

“A fun day”

Alcaraz spread his arms after his semi-final victory, and his parents kissed in the stands. The 21-year-old is in a Grand Slam final for the fourth time, and his record so far is flawless. “I feel like I’m no longer new. I know how I’ll feel before the final,” said Alcaraz. “I’ll try to do the things I did well last year and try to be better.”

In the winner’s interview, the young Spaniard then alluded to the final of the European Football Championship between Spain and England on Sunday in Berlin. “It will be a good day for the Spaniards,” said the world number three, trying to appease the groaning audience with a grin: “I didn’t say that Spain would win. I just said that it would be a fun day.”

The fact that he defeated Medvedev in the semifinals at the All England Lawn Tennis and Crocquet Club, just like last year, can be a good omen for him, even if it was closer than last year at the same venue. “I’m really happy with my performance. I started out very, very nervous,” said Alcaraz with relief. “All in all, I think I played a very good match.”

Warning for Medvedev

The 15,000 spectators on the completely full Centre Court saw a weaker start from the exceptional Spanish talent. After losing the set, however, Alcaraz raised his level significantly and made many things look easy in the rest of the match.

“I tried to do different things. I tried not to play too many long rallies,” he explained. The semi-finalists played a first set with four lost serves and plenty of back and forth. Alcaraz made an unusually high number of minor errors. His first serve was clearly too rare.

The atmosphere briefly heated up when Medvedev received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct from referee Eva Asderaki at the end of the first set. The referee called the supervisor because Medvedev had apparently sworn. The referee had previously ended a point with an interjection that the ball had bounced twice. “I didn’t say anything too bad,” Medvedev commented afterwards. The 2021 US Open winner did not let himself be dissuaded from his course to win the first set. But the match then turned around.