Carlos Alcaraz jokes with Wimbledon crowd that Sunday is ‘going to be a good day for Spanish people’ ahead of Euro 2024 final
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached his second straight Wimbledon final on Friday, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-7(1) 6-3 6-4 6-4 in an entertaining semifinal encounter on Centre Court.
After the match, Spaniard Alcaraz bravely joked with the crowd that “Sunday is going to be a good day for Spanish people” ahead of the Wimbledon final and Euro 2024 final, in which Spain will face England, drawing loud boos.
Alcaraz then held his hands together, asking for forgiveness from the crowd with a big grin on his face.
“I didn’t say Spain is going to win!” he clarified. “I just said it’s going to be a fun day.”
Still only 21 years old, Alcaraz is now into the fourth grand slam final of his career.
He was well below his blistering best at times during the near three-hour win over Medvedev, but it always seemed as though the man from Murcia had another gear to find if needed.
That is now 13 straight wins at Wimbledon for Alcaraz and 13 straight grand slam victories after winning the French Open last month.
Alcaraz is now a remarkable 17-1 in grand slams this year, with his only loss so far coming against Alex Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
In what has been one of the wetter Wimbledon fortnights, Alcaraz has been playing his matches on Centre Court under the roof and he said he was “glad to play outdoors” on a slightly sunnier Friday afternoon.
“Different conditions but really happy with my performance,” he said in his post-match interview. “I started really nervous, he was dominating the match, playing great tennis with his serve, his return game. It was difficult for me.
“I tried to pull out all the nerves at the beginning of the second set, it was helpful to be up 3-1 and after I could play my own game. I could enjoy the match a bit more. I hit great shots, moved well. I played a good match.
“I feel like I’m not new anymore, I know how I’m going to feel before the final. I’ve been in this position before. I will try to do the things I did well last year and try to be better and try to do the things that went well.”
Alcaraz, who is bidding to become only the sixth man to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same season – known as the ‘Channel Slam’ – won last year’s title after a five-set epic against Novak Djokovic, who he could meet in the final once again.
The Serb is taking on Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in Friday’s second semifinal.
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