Alcaraz aims for Wimbledon men's title repeat after 4-set victory over Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz is only a couple of months past his 21th birthday, and yet this whole Grand Slam success thing is already a bit been-there, done-that for him.

Moving a step closer to a second consecutive Wimbledon title and fourth major championship overall, Alcaraz overcame a shaky start Friday to beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals at Centre Court in London, England.

"I feel like I'm not new anymore. I feel like I know how I'm going to feel before the final. I've been in this position before," Alcaraz said. "I will try to do the things that I did well last year and try to be better."

After a so-so opening set, Alcaraz transformed back into the energetic, attacking, crowd-pleasing force who already was the first teenager to be No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is the youngest man to have won a major trophy on three surfaces: grass, clay and hard courts.

Now the Spaniard is one victory away from joining Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open era, which began in 1968, with multiple championships at the All England Club before turning 22.

Alcaraz also triumphed at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the French Open last month.

He is 3-0 in major finals so far and will go up against 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti on Sunday. That duo was scheduled to meet in the second semifinal -- the 49th appearance at that stage of a Grand Slam tournament for Djokovic, and the first for Musetti.

A year ago at Wimbledon, Alcaraz eliminated 2021 U.S. Open champion Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinals before defeating Djokovic in five sets in the final.

This time, on a cloudy afternoon — the main stadium's retractable roof open because there was none of the rain that fell