Novak Djokovic reaches Wimbledon final with a thirst for revenge Carlos Alcaraz and with the challenge of emulating the record of eight titles of Roger Federerknowing that this may be his last chance. The world number two got rid of the Italian Lorenzo Musetti with more ease than expected (6-4, 7-6 [2]6-4), nothing to do with the four and a half hour marathon that the two men played during their penultimate meeting at Roland-Garros.
With a bulky protection on his right knee, Djokovic confirmed his miraculous recovery three weeks after his meniscus operation and gave a new lesson in “fierce efficiency” on the centre court of the All England Club.
The lively and joyful play of the number 25 of the ATP ranking, with this flat backhand with one hand that lifted the public from their seats, was not enough to counteract the aplomb and mobility of the Serb. The cries of Go Lorenzo!crashed with the unassailable net of shots from the back of the court and the mid-court volleys with which Djokovic decided to seal his victory.
Flashes of a “wizard”
Djokovic arrives at the match against Alcaraz with his batteries charged, benefiting from a much more benign situation than that of his rival and an extra day of rest due to the withdrawal of Alex de Minaurinjured in the hip. To the cheetah who is silent, irritated by the public during his match against Holger Runethe champion of 24 majors He is looking for revenge against Alcaraz after dropping just one set in a tournament he was not initially expected to win.
Musetti, who had just played the final at Queen’s, stood at Central with the vitola of sec after their quarter-final victory against Taylor Fritz in one of the best games of this edition. It took him some time to find his place on the court, but he managed to display his best shot repertoire in the last part of the first set and at the beginning of the second set, when he managed to break the serve with his deadly parallel backhand.
He took the lead in the second set up to 1-3, but Djokovic managed to turn the situation around by giving a more aggressive turn to his tennis and even taking risks with the serve-and-volley. They thus reached a 6-6, which the Belgrade genius was able to close thanks to his experience. Musetti would still offer flashes of brilliance in the third round, but his unforced errors opened the way. Absent He advanced in the final straight like a steamroller and even had time to show off with some of his numbered at the Centrale, which said goodbye to applause (and occasional boos).