Carlos Alcaraz: Wimbledon 2023 semi-finalist in profile

The Spaniard’s game is characterised by aggressive baseline play, and he has quickly become known for his athleticism and his daring and inventive shot-making. In his four-set win against Berrettini his week, for example, Alcaraz pulled off a stunning winner around the net post. He also possesses one of the most effective drop shots in the sport.

Alcaraz has also been compared to a young Rafael Nadal, and the 22-time slam champion said of his compatriot after a clash in 2022: “When his adrenaline goes up, he’s practically unstoppable.” Alcaraz may appear to be a right-handed reincarnation of Nadal, who was his idol growing up in Murcia, but he says his game is more like Roger Federer’s.

The youngster is also driven by the words of his grandfather and the three Cs: cabeza, corazón, cojones– head, heart and balls – and he had “CCC” tattooed on his arm after winning the US Open in September.

Earlier this week, Alcaraz was forced to respond to reports that his father Carlos, a regular member of his entourage, recorded Novak Djokovic – who he is seeded to meet in the final – while the seven-time champion was training at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park. “Oh, probably it is true,” said the world No 1. “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. Being able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he’s filmed the sessions. I don’t think [it will give me an advantage]. I mean, I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform. I think it’s not an advantage for me.”

To set up a potential final with Djokovic, however, Alcaraz must beat Medvedev – who won in straight sets in their only previous Wimbledon meeting, in 2021 – and Djokovic must overcome Jannik Sinner. The men’s Wimbledon semi-finals will be must-watch tennis.

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