Carlos Alcaraz books blockbuster Wimbledon final with Novak Djokovic

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It doesn’t get much bigger than this: world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will play for the Wimbledon title, his second Grand Slam crown, where 23-time champion Novak Djokovic awaits in the final on Sunday.

The 20-year-old has not been shy in saying that one of his goals for the fortnight was another shot at Djokovic—and a chance for redemption. The last time Alcaraz was in a Grand Slam semifinal it was against the Serbian himself, and it ended in a letdown as full-body cramping derailed his Roland Garros challenge.

Now, he will once again face Djokovic as the pair meet for the third time in their careers, after defeating No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court on Friday.

“Everyone knows the legend he is. He is going to be really difficult. I will fight. That’s myself. I will believe in myself, I will believe I can beat him here,” Alcaraz said on court afterward.

"I saw that he is unbeaten here since 2013 on this court. It's going to be challenging, but I am ready for this.

"It will be special playing against Novak, but it is a final. There's no time to be afraid, no time to be tired. I will go for it, and let’s see what happens.”

This was Medvedev and Alcaraz's second time facing off at Wimbledon, coming two years after the then-No. 2 Medvedev first routed a younger No. 75-ranked Alcaraz in straight sets back in 2021. The situation couldn’t be more different for the Russian in 2023, with Alcaraz now the world No. 1 and matching Medvedev with a US Open victory last year.

With Djokovic safely into the Wimbledon final after a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 6 Jannik Sinner earlier in the day, Alcaraz and Medvedev took the court hoping to join him there for the first time. But it was Alcaraz who came out firing from the start, and once the top seed settled into the match it was hard to disrupt his momentum.

Medvedev didn’t help himself much, either, standing far behind the baseline in an attempt to neutralize his opponent’s big serves. All it encouraged Alcaraz to do was go for bigger serves and more acute angles. The Russian’s return had little impact, with Alcaraz saving all the break points he faced in the opening two sets and winning 85% of points behind his first serve.

As a result, Alcaraz ran rampant, employing his all-court game to frustrate his opponent—controlling the points with his serve, dictating with his booming groundstrokes and bringing Medvedev up to the net seemingly at will with smart drop shots and approaches.

When Alcaraz opened up a 3-0 lead in the third set, Medvedev seemed to see the match slipping away from him. But he doubled down on his strategy in response, his defense soaking up Alcaraz’s shots and returning them with interest to finally open up chances on the Spaniard’s serve. But it was too little, too late, as Alcaraz broke back each time and finally closed out the match with a running forehand winner after an hour and 51 minutes.

"It was really difficult to close the match... Daniil didn’t want to lose, he followed until last ball, he is a fighter, a runner," Alcaraz acknowledged.

"I had to show my best in that tough moment, I had to play aggressive and be myself all the time. I think that was the key to close that match."

With the victory, Alcaraz follows in the footsteps of his celebrated countrymen Manuel Santana and Rafael Nadal to become the third Spanish player in history to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final. Santana and Nadal both went on to win a title at the All England Club—Santana in 1966 and Nadal in 2008 and 2010—and Alcaraz is seeking to add his name to that list.