London: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic can set up a sensational Wimbledon final on Friday, even as Daniil Medvedev and Lorenzo Musetti hope to crash the All England Club party.
Alcaraz, 21, is bidding for a fourth Grand Slam final before setting his sights on becoming only the sixth man to win back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles.
Twelve months ago, he defeated Djokovic in five sets in the Wimbledon final and defeated Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinals.
It was an uneven Wimbledon for the Spanish world number three.
Frances Tiafoe pushed him to five sets in the third round and then needed four sets to see off Hugo Humbert and Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz leads 4-2 over Medvedev, a player he compared to “a wall, every ball bounces back”.
Medvedev is trying to reach his seventh slam final.
The fifth-ranked Russian, a former US Open champion, stunned top-seeded Jannik Sinner in five sets in the quarter-finals, avenging the Italian’s defeat in the Australian Open final in January.
“It’s hard to play against Carlos because you know whatever shot you hit, he can hit a winner from there,” Medvedev said.
That was music to Alcaraz’s ears.
“I’m glad my opponents think that. It means they have to really focus on every shot,” he said.
So far, Medvedev has hit 64 aces compared to Alcaraz’s 52. He lost serve eight times, while Alcaraz saw his service games broken 16 times.
Djokovic equaled Roger Federer’s mark by reaching a 13th Wimbledon semi-final and is two wins away from equaling the Swiss star’s record eight singles titles at the All England Club.
A win on Friday would take him to his 10th tournament final and 37th at the Slams.
At 37, Djokovic could also become the oldest champion in the modern era, an impressive feat for a man who recently underwent knee surgery last month.
He has lost the Australian Open and French Open titles this season and is yet to reach a final on the tour.
He was given a free pass into Friday’s last four when Alex de Minaur pulled out of the scheduled quarter-finals with a hip injury.
The Serbian is in a wild mood at Wimbledon, accusing fans of disrespecting him during his 16-year-old victory over Holger Run.
“If someone crosses the line, I respond,” he said.
Djokovic is 5-1 over Musetti, including a five-set win at the French Open last month.
This third-round match set a record for the last place at Roland Garros, as Djokovic completed the win at 3:07 in the morning.
Musetti, 22, also eliminated Djokovic in their first meeting at Roland Garros in 2021, with the Italian winning the opening two sets of the last 16 before his hopes of a decider were dashed by injury.
“He’s a legend, but especially here at Wimbledon,” Musetti said ahead of his debut on Center Court, where he was allowed to practice on Friday morning.
“I expect a big fight. It’s one of the toughest challenges. But I’m an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged.”
Djokovic described Musetti as “a very talented player”.
“He has a beautiful one-handed backhand, he’s very fast,” Djokovic told the BBC.
If Musetti reaches the final, it will be the first time in history that Italian players have reached the men’s and women’s singles finals at a Grand Slam. Jasmine Paolini will play the women’s final against Barbora Krejčíková on Saturday.
