Carlos Alcaraz is a human highlight reel, and has once again provided so many moments of magic throughout his run to the Wimbledon final.
And, even if he has not been at his very best throughout this tournament, the ease with which he has breezed into Sunday’s showdown is frightening for the rest of the tour.
There, he will face Jannik Sinner, in a match that the entire tennis world has been craving ever since the conclusion of their historic French Open final.
Taylor Fritz was the unfortunate casualty from Carlos Alcaraz’s semi-final match on Friday, beaten in four tight sets.
Jim Courier, in an effort to review the match, could not help but add to the endless stream of praise the Spanish superstar is receiving.
Carlos Alcaraz’s best moment from Wimbledon semi-final vs Taylor Fritz
Asked what the very best thing Alcaraz did, he initially gave a one-word answer to the Tennis Channel panel: “Survive.”
Courier then delved into far more detail: “That moment in a tiebreaker, for me, it was probably the best thing he did.
“There was a lot to praise about him, good first serve percentage, 65%, a lot of aces, very few double faults. And he was able to use all of his assets the way that he needed to.
“We knew that Taylor was going to try and rip the ball and keep the points as short as he could. Taylor did very well to do that, but Carlos was able to use his athleticism to finish at the net a lot and to use his drop shot when it was available.”
This came after Fritz pinpointed the mid-match change Alcaraz made in their match which impressed him most.
Carlos Alcaraz’s road to the 2025 Wimbledon final
Alcaraz’s road to his third-straight Wimbledon final has, on paper, not been all that troubling.
However, whether it be nerves, a lack of focus, or something else entirely, he has made it difficult at times.
He kickstarted his title defence against Fabio Fognini, with the veteran pushing his 22-year-old opponent to his limits. In the end, Alcaraz won, but only in an unconvincing five-set encounter.
Next up came Oliver Tarvet, the young Brit making his debut at the event. He lost in straight sets, as expected, but many were impressed by how the hometown hero competed.
Tracy Austin even spoke about if Tarvet should quit college to pursue professional tennis after such a fairytale run.
Alcaraz then dropped a customary set to Jan-Lennard Struff and Andrey Rublev, but would eventually win easily in four, before then arguably playing his match of the tournament so far as he demolished Cameron Norrie with ease.
His meeting with Fritz on Friday was far more competitive, and the American did bring about two set points to take the match to a deciding fifth set. Alas, he could not convert, and Alcaraz now awaits Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
