So the all-time classic will have an instant rematch. Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday in a repeat of last year’s epic five-setter, as the 37-year-old bids to become the oldest champion in the Open era at the All England Club.
It’s the final everyone wanted to see and yet, after beating the inspired Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, the boos that rained down from the Centre Court crowd were rather illustrative of how difficult a journey this has been for the seven-time champion. Djokovic celebrated by pretending to play the violin on his racket, in a tribute to his six-year-old daughter. But clearly, a few days after accusing some Wimbledon fans of “showing disrespect”, some in the crowd thought the gesture was directed at them.
Still, a few boos are the least of Djokovic’s problems as he prepares to face Alcaraz on Sunday, or one of the “greatest 21-year-olds our sport has seen”, as he said on court. “He already beat me here in a Wimbledon final in a five-set thriller so I don’t expect anything less than a huge battle,” Djokovic said. “He is as complete a player as they come, so it’s going to take the best of my ability to beat him.”
Make no mistake, though, simply returning to the Wimbledon final – his 10th – is a stunning achievement in itself. Less than four weeks after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee, Djokovic is through to his first final of the season and he will have another chance to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s titles. His season has not gone to plan but if there was one match he could have chosen to win in January, it would likely have been the one that will come in two days’ time.
Djokovic faced the odd taunts of “goood night” after his extraordinary post-match interview on Monday night and withstood the occasional brilliance of Musetti, as the Italian’s stylish game and flamboyant shot-making earned the favour of the Centre Court crowd.
Musetti and his wonderful one-handed backhand showed some magical flashes here, hitting at least two contenders for the shot of the tournament as he broke to lead Djokovic in the second. Djokovic, though, proved why he will be competing in a 37th grand slam final. In what was his 49th grand slam semi-final, he utilised all of his experience of the five-set format to subdue the 22-year-old Italian, who was playing his first.
As it so often does at this level, the key tiebreak at the end of the second set showed the difference between the two. While Musetti produced a stunner of a winner, ripping a forehand that pierced the narrow gap between the net-post and the umpire’s chair, landing on the line, Djokovic was far more consistent and steady in the rallies. The second set was close, at times thrilling, but its decider was closed out ruthlessly by Djokovic. Musetti had the shots but Djokovic had the answers, the knowledge, to get over the line.
In that, Dokovic passed a test here and did so impressively. In Musetti, he faced a confident and in-form opponent. The Italian’s fearsome backhand slice, cutting low to Djokovic’s backhand side and forcing him to bend down on his strapped-up right knee, had the potential to pose the seven-time champion problems. While this was Musetti’s first Wimbledon semi-final, no player on the tour had won more matches on grass this season than the Italian.
Yet he had also been served the brutal lesson of facing Djokovic at the grand slams. Musetti led Djokovic by two sets in the 2021 French Open fourth round before imploding and retiring in the fifth; last month, he led Djokovic by two sets to one in the French Open third round before Djokovic came back to win a classic at 3am.
And while Musetti took to Centre Court and played his part in an entertaining match full of points that stretched the arena to its limits, the Italian’s spin adding another dimension to the rallies, Djokovic remained in complete control, closing the net superbly. He broke midway through the opening set by winning the rally of the match, a long-bursting exchange, and held his arms wide to the first of a few murmurs from the crowd.
Indeed, one of the more notable moments of the match came before the opening point and as the players emerged. After receiving a walkover into the semi-finals when Alex de Minaur withdrew from the quarter-finals injured, Djokovic was back on Centre Court for the first time since turning on the crowd after his win over Holger Rune.
But after Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev in four sets to return to the semi-finals, Centre Court was barely a quarter full when Djokovic and Musetti walked out to gentle applause. Would certain fans react to Musetti winners with cries of “Muuuuu” as they did with “Ruuune” on Monday night? Not at first, but the crowd’s support was in heavy favour of the underdog – erupting as Musetti landed his first highlight-reel winner.
The second-set tiebreak came to encapsulate the match of the contest: Musetti had the eye-catching pass up the line but Djokovic won the points that mattered, steeling himself in the baseline rallies and drawing the errors from Musetti. Djokovic claimed the tiebreak 7-2, and in the first game of the third set threatened to suck the life out of his opponent, who framed a forehand to give Djokovic break point. Musetti could only watch as Djokovic outlasted him on another punishing rally, before whipping the backhand pass cross-court.
The end brought the highest intensity of the match. With the crowd desperate for more, Musetti saved three match points to the chants of “LO-REN-ZO”, yet Djokovic shut out the noise and as he closed the net on the fourth match point and the Italian fired long, he stood and soaked it all in. Alcaraz will be the favourite on Sunday, with the crowd and in the match, but Djokovic is exactly where he wants to be.