Carlos Alcaraz could not have wished for a better dress rehearsal had he scripted it himself.
If the Spanish world No 1 locks horns with Novak Djokovic on Sunday for a second time in two months, as the seedings suggest and most neutral observers hope, his first task will be to ensure there is no repeat of the crippling tension that hobbled his challenge at Roland Garros, where he was rendered lame by cramp. Holger Rune does not carry quite the same aura as Djokovic – few do – but the gifted Dane came up through the junior ranks with Alcaraz and, as the top seed acknowledged after his 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-4 victory, it is a matchup he finds challenging.
“For me, it’s not easy to play against someone that I’ve played so many times,” said Alcaraz of his contemporary. “When we were younger, we grew up together, same age. For me, [he] is not really easy to play against.”
That difficulty manifested itself in a first set laced with anxiety. There was a tightness about Alcaraz’s play; the signature moves were there, but the execution sometimes lacked its usual freedom and fluency. An overhit lob, which followed an overhit drop shot, was a case in point. That came in the opening game, bringing up a first break point for Rune. Alcaraz instantly snuffed out the danger with a 132mph serve, but the tone was set.
Faced with an inviting second serve that might have yielded three break points, Alcaraz sent a return long. He began a service game with another overcooked drop shot and lob. Unforced errors, of which he would make a dozen in the opening set, proved costly, thwarting the Spaniard’s efforts after a blazing forehand return winner had carried him to 0-30. The Murcian’s frustration mounted, finally boiling over in a huge yell of distress and some animated chatter to his box when he sent a backhand wildly long in the eighth game. From the other end, Rune cast his rival a quizzical look.
Despite these lapses, the standard from both men remained exceptionally high. It was never likely to be otherwise in a first grand slam meeting between two of the game’s most luminous young talents. For that reason alone, the match was of course much than a mere dress rehearsal; for Alcaraz, in particular, it was freighted with significance, an opportunity to underline, lest there be any doubt, his pre-eminence among his own generation.
The magnitude of the occasion was spelled out at the conclusion of the first-set tiebreak. The shootout began with an early mini-break for Alcaraz courtesy of a glorious backhand pass, jabbed crosscourt at an acute angle, that drew a broad smile from the Spaniard and a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd.
It did not take Rune long to get back on level terms, but at 3-3 the Danish sixth seed gifted the initiative to his rival with a double-fault, and this time the Spaniard made no mistake. Having worked his way to three set points, Alcaraz rifled a backhand return winner down the line and let out a prolonged, visceral roar that spoke of relief and release.
“It was nerves, tension, it was everything,” said Alcaraz. “The first set, it was really tough for me. A lot of nerves. I couldn’t control it at all. I was able to win the first set, the key to turn around a little bit my emotions.
“It helped me a lot, that [was] huge after the first set to put out all the nerves and start to enjoy the moment, to enjoy the match. Smiling for me, as I said a few times, is the key of everything.”
For Alcaraz, this was nonetheless a day for steel rather than smiles. Alcaraz would make only one more unforced error in the entire match, exhibiting precisely the kind of ruthless efficiency that has become synonymous with Djokovic. It is a quality he will need if he is to thwart the defending champion’s attempt to win a record-equalling eighth title.
First, though, Alcaraz will need to negotiate a route past Daniil Medvedev, the third seed, who reached his first Wimbledon semi-final with a 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory over Christopher Eubanks of the United States. Alcaraz, who was comprehensively beaten by the Russian in the second round two years ago, will not want for belief.
“I’m playing great, a lot of confidence right now,” said the Spanaiard. “It’s going to be a really good match, I think.
“He’s a really complete player. I’m going to say – I think [Andrey] Rublev said it a few times – he’s an octopus. He catches every ball. It’s amazing, he’s an amazing athlete, I think a mix of everything. He does almost everything well.”
Increasingly, so does Alcaraz. It should be some match.