“He beat Sinner, who we thought was invincible”: Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero avoids overconfidence against Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon semifinals, in a repeat of their 2023 match. The Spaniard secured a convincing win against Tommy Paul, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, extending his winning streak to 12 at SW19.

The Spaniard is one step away from playing his fourth Grand Slam final, but first, he must defeat Medvedev, who pulled off an unexpected quarter-final win against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach, anticipates a tough match against the 28-year-old Russian.

The level of Alcaraz on grass courts is no longer a surprise, boasting an impressive 22-3 record in his few years as a professional. The 20-year-old is brimming with confidence after winning the French Open a month ago and is now aiming to defend his 2023 title.

World No. 3 has advanced flawlessly through the tournament, defeating opponents like Frances Tiafoe (29th seed), Ugo Humbert (16th), and Tommy Paul (12th). Although he faced challenges against Big-Foe in the third round, he managed to come through in a marathon five-set match.

“He’s feeling very good. He’s grown into it against tough players. Tiafoe and Paul are difficult. He feels good and he’s managed to solve the problems that he’s faced, but now we’re very focused on the match with Medvedev, not thinking about the title. We can’t think much beyond Friday because that would be a mistake. Medvedev has earned the respect of all the players. So we’re approaching it with the utmost concern.”

The Spanish coach highlighted how difficult it is to stay at the top level for a long time and maintain consistency as a top player: “Nothing is a given, Marc Márquez is a perfect example. What happened to him... he was winning everything, he got an injury and now he hasn’t won for over 1,000 days,” Ferrero mentioned. “He’s battling to come back now, a guy who is an absolute one-off. Problems can happen, you can’t be too confident, you have to keep working. I think people have got used to him being up there, perhaps what he’s doing is even underappreciated.”

Now with Sinner out of the way, Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, whom he already defeated in the same round at Wimbledon 2023. Although on paper the Russian seems a less uncomfortable opponent for Alcaraz, Ferrero does not expect an easy match for his player: "Medvedev has earned respect. He beat Sinner, who we thought was almost unbeatable on the grass for his style of play,” the former Spanish world No. 1 said.

“It is true that Carlos plays differently from Jannik and can do a little more harm to his playing style. We are focused to the maximum and with the maximum precautions. We beat Daniil here last year, but then he beat us in the US Open semi-final. The fact that defeats don’t affect him and help him improve says a lot about him. I’m sure he’ll feel something different on Friday," the former French Open champion added. “I felt the difference playing on Centre Court and on Court One. The grass is different.”