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Key events
Alcaraz to serve and … play.
These two have played eight times so far and it’s 4-4. And remember last year, Alcaraz’s body – and, if we’re honest, mind – gave up on him against Djokovic, the stress of the contest causing him to cramp up. That won’t happen today because he’ll have made certain it won’t happen again, ever, but he won’t have forgotten it.
Our players are in the tunnel, stretching. I cannot wait for this, and the happy chance is that I don’t have to – we’re ready, and here they come!
I guess I’m leaning Sinner, now that you don’t ask, because I think he has greater momentum. But if Alacaraz is at it, as the better, more experienced clay-courter – and still, just about, I think, the better player – I’d go with him
It’s sunny today, which means decent pace and bounce – and yes I did type that in Michael Holding’s voice. I wonder if that might help Sinner, as Alcaraz loves a drop, but as I consider that, Àlex Corretja explains that it might favour Carlitos, who uses more top-spin on the forehand and is better at moving side to side.
Calvin Betton, our resident coach, messages on the second semi: “If it’s FH to FH then Ruud, if it’s BH To BH, Zverev. Zverrev has the best first serve in the game and best BH in the game plus he makes a lot of them; Ruud’s BH is very poor.”
And of course that’s not our only match: later on, Katy Murrells will coax you through Casper Ruud v Alexander Zverev in a repeat of last year’s semi – which Ruud won in three. I’m not sure it’ll be like that this time, but – Zverev has improved a lot since then and has the bigger weapons. Consequently, if he plays well he almost definitely wins, but if Ruud can get after what remains a dicky forehand – he’s just better at hiding it now – and second serve, he’s a chance.
Preamble
Tennis is in a funny place at the moment; a funny place, but a great place. When watching the women’s competitions, we’re generally clueless as to what might come to pass – who had Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini as semi-finalists? No one. Whereas watching the men, we feel like we more or less know – who had Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev as semi-finalists? Er, everyone? The only surprise is the absence of Novak Djokovic, and but for injury he’d presumably have found a way of sneaking in.
Now, though, who knows? Over the last year or so, Jannik Sinner has discovered his best self, adding pop to his already nails groundstrokes and improving his hands at the net. He also knows he can come from behind then stay calm enough to see out the win, in the final of a Grand Slam – and that he’s still got plenty of improving left to do.
Carlos Alcaraz knows the same things – yes, without the staying calm bit, but that’s the beauty of him and a beauty of this contest. Like Sinner, he’ll attack everything, but unlike Sinner, you simply cannot predict how; the tuissle is artist v artisan, jamming v playing and freestyling v rapping.
So what are the points of difference? Well, Sinner hits it slightly harder but Alcaraz hits it slightly more consistently, and on clay the latter is of slightly greater use. But on this occasion the sense is that style – how they play – will be subservient to substance – how well they play. Or, in other words, I don’t have a clue, and anyone who says they do is lying. What, though, feels certain, is that this match-up is not just the present but the future – and it’s going to be great.
Play: not before 2.30pm local, 1.30pm BST
