Mistrust on the Center Court

Here is the 2ᵉ semi-final of the day which could be tricky as the most probable outcome is unanimous. The final is still a long way off for Carlito. He will have to win the beautiful game of chess that the Russian will offer him. First pawn already advanced for the latter since the match will certainly be played with the roof closed.

Let's start with the course and the evolution of each in this tournament. Daniil was able to find himself by alternating very good and less good thanks to confrontations that were much less tough than those that Carlito had. But the most important thing for him is to arrive with physicality, adjusted shots and confidence in his service. He will raise his level according to the occasion, and what occasion to do so. For his part, the Spaniard had to overcome many obstacles. I am thinking in particular of Jarry and Berrettini who have among the most effective styles of play on this surface, and above all the most tricky against the style of Alcaraz. A bit like Ruud who had to pass Jarry in the first rounds of Roland. When we win against styles of players that we don't like, it gives us wings. Spanish advantage.

In terms of their confrontations, they are at 1 everywhere. The first was at Wimbledon in 2021 on Court No. 1. Alcaraz at the time was still making too many mistakes, but he was then 72ᵉ in the world at the time while Daniil was n°2 and installed in the top 10 for 2 years already. The 2ᵉ was at the beginning of the year in Indian Wells. The Spaniard had flown over the debates thanks in particular to his superiority in the exchange with his power and his range of shots. How could it be otherwise here?

Medvedev's main problem is that he needs to organize a minimum to hit his shots with the precision that characterizes him. This is due to its size and technique. The 2ᵉ big problem is its lack of power. If you combine the two together, against a player as powerful and aggressive as Alcaraz, you have no choice but to buy time by stepping back and covering his ground perfectly. This is also his style of play for a very long time, and it is not tomorrow that he will change it. What's more, as the tournament went on, we could see the Spaniard stepping up to the net more and more and gaining more and more confidence in his return (a blow that he had played tricks on him last year, especially against Struff).

You have understood it, the physiognomy of the match is to the advantage of the world n°1. It is he who will decide the outcome of the match in a way. He has all the tools in hand, from cushioning to the volley. He moves very well. In short, to lose this match it would take several things: 1. That Daniil serves the steel, 2. that the Russian manages to make the Spaniard play as many shots as possible to make him miss and hurt him physically, 3. that the Spaniard arrives a little tense as he happened in his previous match against Rune.