LONDON (AP) 鈥� Carlos Alcaraz's ability to hit any type of shot, from any position on the court, on any surface, keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
Keeps other players guessing, too.
Alcaraz delights in all of that 鈥� he loves putting on a show just as much as he enjoys knowing he makes the guys on the other side of the net uncomfortable 鈥� and figures it can only help him in the semifinals against on Friday.
It's beneficial, Alcaraz said, that opponents need to focus on whether he'll be 鈥渁ble to be back (in) the point or ... able to hit an unbelievable shot.鈥�
鈥淔or me,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 great that they're thinking about it.鈥�
Alcaraz, the No. 3 seed, is seeking a and fourth Grand Slam title overall. His triumph last month at the French Open made him, at 21, .
Medvedev, who is seeded No. 5 and defeated No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, but is just 1-5 in major finals.
The other match Friday will be No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who has won seven of his men's-record at Wimbledon, against No. 25 Lorenzo Musetti, making his debut in a major semifinal.
鈥淎gainst him, you are probably more stressed, because he鈥檚 probably the best player ever 鈥� or one of the best players ever,鈥� said the 22-year-old Musetti, who beat Taylor Fritz in five sets on Wednesday, while Djokovic got the day off because with an injured hip.
鈥淵ou walk on court with a different mentality,鈥� said Musetti, whose includes a five-set loss at this year's . 鈥淚f I play in a certain way, I could have my shot in the next round.鈥�
Alcaraz vs. Medvedev is a rematch from last year's semifinals, when Alcaraz won in straight sets before getting past Djokovic in the final.
It also offers a contrast between a talented attacker (Alcaraz) and a consummate defender (Medvedev).
鈥淭he most difficult thing about facing Daniil, or the most special thing about him, is he can reach every ball,鈥� Alcaraz said. 鈥淲ell, he is like a wall. Every ball bounces back.鈥�
Asked what Alcaraz's best quality is, Medvedev began this way: 鈥淭o be honest, everything.鈥�
That sounds like an exaggeration.
Might not be.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where it鈥檚 tough to play against him, because you know whatever shot you hit, he can hit a winner from there. So you try to make his life difficult. You try to hit the shot as good as you can. Maybe he goes for it and he cannot make it,鈥� said Medvedev, who has won just two of their previous six encounters.
鈥淐arlos can do whatever, from any position,鈥� Medvedev said, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 not easy to play against.鈥�
Tommy Paul, the 12th-seeded American who lost to Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, put something else on the lengthy list of the Spaniard's attributes.
鈥淗e moves unbelievably well. He鈥檚 probably the quickest player. It鈥檚 very hard to get the ball by him,鈥� Paul said. 鈥淕rass suits him. He moves incredible on the grass. It鈥檚 not easy to change direction the way that he does. He stays pretty low. Yeah, I mean, it鈥檚 not easy.鈥�
And then, in a nod to the sort of , Paul added: 鈥淗alf of the job when you鈥檙e out there is not to let him win one of those crazy points 鈥� because when he does, he kind of gets on a roll.鈥�
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP鈥檚 tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here:
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AP tennis:
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
