At half past eight in the evening in London, Carlos Alcaraz appears at Wimbledon’s Media Theater, wearing his bucket hat and colorful T-shirt, and says:
-It has probably been one of my best matches on the circuit, not only on grass.
And then add:
-But I still don’t know what tactic I will use against Djokovic, because he has no weaknesses. I’ll think about it when I talk to my team. What are your weak spots? Complicated. I see few holes in him, especially considering that it’s my second Grand Slam final and he’s almost forty. Djokovic does nothing wrong on the track. Physically and mentally he is a beast.
Even so, Alcaraz feels favorite.
As favorite as Djokovic.
And for this reason, he ensures that he is where he belongs:
-I feel that I belong to this type of situation. Now it’s my turn to prove it.
And on the road it is located tomorrow, Sunday.
Away with mental labyrinths, that malaise that had gripped him in the Roland Garros semifinals a month ago and against Djokovic, that disaster that had led to muscle cramps, a general collapse, nonsense.
-In Paris I did not enjoy at all. But now, in this first set I have already noticed that I had done different things that have helped me.
(Remember that she has reinforced the work with a psychologist since 2020).
-What different things? she asks him.
-Physically I had done the same. The difference has been in some mental exercises to keep me calm. I don’t use mental exercises much. With Rune (in the quarterfinals) I tried it with relaxing music. I’m talking about lying down by myself and closing my eyes and imagining what’s going to happen. I don’t usually do it, but if I need to, I will.
-And you are not pressured by the fact of measuring yourself against a legend like Djokovic?
-Playing a final against a legend is extra motivation. It will be special, not only to win Wimbledon, but to do it against Djokovic… To be the best, you have to play with the best. It is. What I do know for sure is that it will probably be the best moment of my life. Playing in a final at Wimbledon is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a child. For Djokovic it may be another final, another day, but for me it is something unique. From the outset, it’s a revenge against myself, to face what happened in the semifinals in Paris, it’s a personal fight so that the same thing doesn’t happen.
When asked for his opinion, Daniil Medvedev, Alcaraz’s latest victim, stands at his feet.
-We can compare Alcaraz with the members of the Big Three. He is at that level. It is true that he only has one Grand Slam in his history but, despite his youth, he already plays like them. I never beat Federer, he didn’t give me time because when I arrived he would already disappear, but I did beat Nadal and Djokovic, and against them you must play your best tennis. And if you don’t do that against someone like them, and also against someone like Alcaraz, you can’t win,” says the Russian.
-And do you think Alcaraz can defeat Djokovic on Sunday? he asks.
It’s going to be an interesting game. I haven’t played well this time, but others like Jarry or Berrettini caused Alcaraz problems in the previous rounds and he solved them very well. Who will win? I can’t answer that.
