Ahead of his Wimbledon semifinal clash against Daniil Medvedev, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is focused on delivering his best performance to secure a victory in a repeat of their 2023 final-four encounter. The third-seed Alcaraz will face Medvedev on Friday.
Last year, Alcaraz dominated Medvedev, dropping just nine games en route to his win. However, this time he remains cautious as his opponent enters the match fresh off a victory against world number one Jannik Sinner, whom Alcaraz acknowledges as the “best player” in the world right now.
Alcaraz advanced to the semis following a win over America’s Tommy Paul with scores of 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
“[Medvedev] is a really great player,” said Alcaraz as quoted by the ATP website. “The same semi-final as last year and hopefully I’m going to get the same result. He just beat Jannik Sinner, the best player right now, so I know he is in really good shape,” he added.
“I have to play my best. I have to believe in myself and try to keep going if I want to beat him. It is going to be a difficult one, but I am going to enjoy it,” Alcaraz continued.
Carlos holds a psychological advantage over Medvedev, leading 4-2 in their ATP head-to-head record. However, Medvedev avenged his loss to Alcaraz by defeating him last September at the US Open in four sets. The Russian has identified serving as a crucial area for improvement to stand a chance against the young Spaniard.
“I have to serve better. That is still the most important thing on grass. You serve aces, you serve on the line, you are less in trouble, and you feel better. That is where you can put pressure on his serve,” Medvedev said.
“He (Alcaraz) is a tough player. He can hit strong. He can slice. He can dropshot. He can volley. He knows how to play tennis. I just need to be at my best, like how I played against Sinner, and try to win,” concluded the Russian.
