By Marc McGowan
Imagine the type of player that could be created by piecing together the best qualities from tennis’ “big three”.
Roger Federer’s stylish shot-making and exquisite volleying. Rafael Nadal’s relentless running and ability to generate outrageous speed on his forehand. Novak Djokovic’s elite returning skills, stout defence and unmatched ability to do the fundamentals better than anyone.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were the “big three” of men’s tennis.Credit: Getty Images/AP
There will never be such a player – but Carlos Alcaraz, a triple grand slam champion already at age 21, might be the closest to it. John McEnroe even suggests Alcaraz is better than any member of that legendary trio at the same age.
Speaking after Alcaraz conquered him in a brilliant five-set final at Wimbledon last year, Djokovic lavished the ultimate praise on the Spanish superstar.
“People have been talking in the past 12 months or so about [Alcaraz’s] game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically the best of all three worlds,” Djokovic said.
“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own obvious strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player.”
Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to defend his Wimbledon title in a rematch of last year’s final against Novak Djokovic.Credit: Getty Images
They will meet again in a highly anticipated rematch on Sunday (11pm AEST), with Djokovic saying after advancing to his 10th Wimbledon final and 37th grand slam decider overall that he was expecting nothing short of a “huge battle”.
Those who think Djokovic and McEnroe are being hyperbolic about Alcaraz, might believe Daniil Medvedev, the Russian firebrand who lost to the Spaniard in the semi-finals for the second straight year.
Medvedev thinks what sets Alcaraz apart is how he can be a tennis chameleon.
“We all have a little bit our preferences: someone prefers defence, someone prefers counterattack, someone prefers to be super-aggressive. He can do all of it,” Medvedev said.
“He can sometimes slice, even bad slice, and then run and try to win like this. Then, when you hit him many times [rally], when guys do this, you can play with them. You can hit them the easy shot back, and they don’t want to attack – but that’s not Carlos. Hit him easy shot, you know it’s over for you.
“That is what makes it tough. Probably in my career, he’s the toughest opponent I have faced.”
What Alcaraz and world No.1 Jannik Sinner have somehow achieved together is to remove the apocalyptic fear about the men’s tennis world post-the “big three”. They have already fostered a captivating rivalry and succeeded where many other next-gen’ stars failed.
Something else Alcaraz shares with Federer, in particular, is an extraordinary likeability, with his disarming smile the greatest factor.
There is a joy he plays with, even in extreme moments of tension, that fans find endearing, but his rivals sometimes struggle to relate to. Take Australia’s Aleks Vukic, who lost to Alcaraz in the second round at Wimbledon this year.
“That’s why I praise Carlos so much. When I’m competing, I’m just not that type of guy. I’m so serious, and I just want to win. I’m like, ‘How is this guy smiling?’,” Vukic said.
“He’s smiling, and I’m like, ‘This guy is so good’, and I’m getting so pissed off.”
It is the Alcaraz experience, complete with spectacular shot-making – often from seemingly impossible situations – followed by an infectious smile and often a triumphant roar, like the one he let out on reaching back-to-back Wimbledon finals on Friday.
It often spells doom for opponents once Alcaraz wins one of those audacious points, as his quarter-final victim Tommy Paul explains.
“When he starts building energy and momentum, it feels a little bit different than most of the other guys,” Paul said. “He can play some seriously amazing tennis. Half of the job when you’re out there is not to let him win one of those crazy points because when he does, he kind of gets on a roll.”
Alcaraz to faces Djokovic in Wimbledon final rematch
London: Carlos Alcaraz continues to live up to his billing as tennis’ next superhero, moving within one victory of defending his Wimbledon title and becoming the sixth man to win the “Channel Slam”.
Carlos Alcaraz could become the sixth man to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year.Credit: AP
Australian legend Rod Laver (1969), Bjorn Borg (1978-80), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010), Roger Federer (2009) and Novak Djokovic (2021) are the only men to capture the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the Open Era in the same year.
The Spanish sensation, already a triple grand slam winner, can join that illustrious company on Sunday after dispatching Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals for the second straight year, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, albeit in a more competitive affair than 12 months ago.
At age 21, Alcaraz – pronounced “Alca-rath”, for anyone still going with “razz” at the end – would be a year younger than Borg and Nadal when they achieved the feat for the first time.
Djokovic is waiting for him in a much-anticipated rematch of last year’s final, which Alcaraz won across five enthralling sets.
The former world No.1, barely a month removed from knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, downed Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in a high-quality second semi-final.
Djokovic is attempting his own history: To match Federer’s record eight Wimbledon championships, and move clear of Australia’s Margaret Court with a 25th grand slam singles title, which would be the most by a man or woman.
“I’m really happy about my performance today. I started really nervous, and he was dominating the match, playing great tennis with his serve,” Alcaraz said of his clash with Medvedev.
“It was difficult for me. I tried to pull out all the nerves at the beginning of the second set, and I was really happy to be up 3-1. After that, I could play my own game, I could enjoy the match a little more, and I moved pretty well. In general, I think I played a really good match.”
With Ash Barty and her mother Josie watching from the royal box, Alcaraz lost the first set for the third time in his past four matches this fortnight against Medvedev, including being two-sets-to-one down to Frances Tiafoe in the round of 32.
And there was drama along the way.
Medvedev was infuriated when experienced chair umpire Eva Asderaki called a double bounce as he desperately lunged at an Alcaraz drop-shot on break point while trying to serve for a one-set lead at 5-3.
A dumbfounded Medvedev instantly directed some words towards Asderaki, who came down from her chair to discuss the situation with tournament officials before issuing him with a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I don’t know if it was double bounce or not. I thought no. That was tricky,” Medvedev said post-match.
“The thing is that once long ago [at] Roland Garros against [Marin] Cilic I lost, and she didn’t see that was one bounce. So, I had this in my mind. I thought, again, against me. I said something in Russian, not unpleasant, but not over the line. So, I got a code for it.”
The incident did not further fluster Medvedev, who raced through the tiebreak in dominant fashion. But there was an inevitability about the contest from the time Alcaraz ran down a volley from the Russian and flicked a crosscourt forehand for a winner to snatch a 3-1 second-set lead.
Medvedev’s first-serve percentage dipped, and he started finding it far tougher to hit through Alcaraz, with 11 of his 31 winners coming in the first set.
Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon semi-finals again.Credit: Getty Images
Alcaraz’s strategy was to avoid being stuck in elongated rallies with Medvedev, who also ventured to the net 11 times more than any other match he played this year with mixed success.
However, the third set kicked off with a dazzling 21-shot rally, during which Alcaraz scampered back to the baseline to hit a ‘tweener to keep himself in the point before barely missing a crosscourt backhand that would have been a winner.
Alcaraz’s light-up-a-stadium smile followed, and the point proved but a minor setback. He broke Medvedev two games later before cruising to a two-sets-to-one lead.
They traded breaks to start the fourth set – the Russian converting his first chance since the opening set – but it was not the start of an unlikely comeback, with Medvedev misfiring on a backhand to drop serve again and fall behind for good at 4-3.
Alcaraz, who bludgeoned 55 winners, leaned back and roared with joy after one last Medvedev forehand landed wide to seal his passage to back-to-back Wimbledon finals.
His next challenge will be even greater, given Djokovic looks a different player at this end of the tournament to the one who dropped sets to British wildcard Jacob Fearnley and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
Musetti, playing his maiden grand slam semi-final as Djokovic clocked up No.49, held up his end of the bargain with some spectacular shot-making. But he will rue not capitalising on his second-set advantage, at a time the Serbian superstar ever-so-slightly dipped his level.
The Italian hit a barely believable backhand winner on the run from almost off the court to go 3-1 up, while he also rocketed an outrageous forehand winner in the eventual tiebreak.
The problem for Musetti was Djokovic always had an answer. At five-all in the same set, and in an 0-30 hole, Djokovic rifled four consecutive first serves that did not come back – the last three were aces.
There has arguably never been a better tennis player in the clutch, and he broke Musetti to start the third set, which proved just enough to hold on. The Italian saved triple match point in the ninth game, then earned himself a break-back point in the next game, only to dump a forehand into the net.
That proved Musetti’s last chance.
“Wimbledon has always been a childhood dream for me – to play it, to win it,” Djokovic said.
Emerson Jones is into the junior girls’ semi-finals.Credit: AP
“I was a seven-year-old boy in Serbia, watching the bombs fly over my head and dreaming of being on the most important court in the world, which is here at Wimbledon, constructing [an imaginary] Wimbledon trophy out of any material I had in the room ... and telling myself I’d be a Wimbledon champion one day.
“Hopefully, I can get my hands on the trophy on Sunday.”
Earlier, Australia’s teenage prodigy Emerson Jones swept aside Poland’s Monika Stankiewicz 6-2, 6-3 in 56 minutes to reach the junior girls’ semi-finals, where she will take on American sixth seed Iva Jovic.
A rematch of the Australian Open junior final with top seed Renata Jamrichova looms if she and third-seeded Jones, 16, can both win their final-four clashes.
Jones, who in May became the youngest player ever to win multiple J500 titles, is bidding to become Australia’s first girls’ champion at Wimbledon since Ash Barty in 2011. She is considered the country’s best prospect since the former world No.1.
“I did some good training with [Barty] on the grass in Brisbane before I came here. It was great. Her ball was so good, like, when she sliced,” Jones told this masthead.
“It’s so special to be following in her footsteps … so hopefully I can try to do that. She’s so inspiring, and to be in the semis of junior Wimbledon is great.”
Marc McGowan is at Wimbledon with the support of Tennis Australia.
Watch Wimbledon 2024 from July 1 live and exclusively free on Nine and 9Now with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand with centre court in 4K on Stan Sport.
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