Daniil Medvedev wary of ‘one brutal shot’ from Wimbledon semi opponent Carlos Alcaraz

LONDON – Daniil Medvedev admitted he is wary of Carlos Alcaraz’s “one brutal shot” which could kill off his hopes of upsetting the world’s top player in their Wimbledon semi-final.

Medvedev rallied to defeat unseeded Christopher Eubanks in five sets and reach the last four at the All England Club for the first time on Wednesday.

He will face the top seed and reigning US Open champion Alcaraz with a healthy respect for the Spaniard’s raw power.

“If you give him one easy shot, you can be in trouble,” said Medvedev. “There are big chances you’re going to get a winner with, let’s say, Novak (Djokovic) or Rafa (Nadal) – you kind of feel like you can have a chance to get to this shot. But the thing is they’re going to have 20 more.

“But with Carlos, you’re not going to get this one. One shot sometimes is brutal.”

The 2021 US Open champion added that Alcaraz’s power, combined with his mammoth forehand and the ability to nail groundstrokes while on the run, more than makes up for his lack of athleticism.

“I think that’s what the most powerful in his game. That’s what I will have to try to deal with,” Medvedev said.

The Russian defeated Alcaraz at Wimbledon for the loss of just seven games in the second round in 2021, when the Spaniard was just 18.

Medvedev also has the experience of having beaten Djokovic at a Slam, when he came out comfortably on top in the 2021 US Open final.

He hopes his greater experience will prove crucial on Friday.

“I have played a lot of great players in my career. I managed to win many times. So I’m going to try to do my best. If I show my best, I’ll have my chances,” he insisted.

The world No. 3 would indeed have to be at his best to beat Alcaraz, who has been in imperious form as he became the youngest semi-finalist at SW19 since Djokovic in 2007.

The Spanish world No. 1 swept aside his friend Holger Rune to reach his maiden Wimbledon semi-final, a feat he describes as “crazy”.

“It is amazing for me. It is a dream since I started playing tennis, making good results here at Wimbledon, such a beautiful and great tournament for me,” Alcaraz said.

“It is a dream to play a semi-final here. I think I am playing at a great level. I did not expect to play at such a great level on this surface. For me, it is crazy.”

Alcaraz, however, is cautious of the “octopus” Medvedev, and is hoping to learn from his previous straight-set defeat.

“He’s playing great here on grass,” Alcaraz said. “He has had a great, great year as well. I lost the first match we played here on grass.

“So I have to learn about it… He’s a really complete player. I think (Andrey) Rublev said a few times, he’s an octopus. He’s an amazing athlete.

“But (I am) going to enjoy the semi-final. I think I’m playing great, a lot of confidence right now, so it’s going to be a really, good match I think.”

Threatening Alcaraz’s place at the top of the world is Djokovic, who will take on Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final.

Perhaps to thwart the Serb in a potential mouth-watering final, Alcaraz’s father reportedly filmed Djokovic in a training session.

However, Alcaraz, denies the film from his “huge tennis fan” father would be of any benefit to him.

“My father is a huge fan of tennis. He doesn’t only watch my matches. I think he gets into the club at 11am, gets out at 10pm, watching matches, watching practice from everyone,” he said.

“Being able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he’s filmed the sessions... I don’t think so (about gaining an advantage). I mean, I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform. I think it’s not an advantage for me.” AFP, REUTERS