On this occasion, much to the discontent of the punters and union jack wavers on Centre Court, Carlos Alcaraz was in no mood to hang about. Wimbledon’s defending champion had already dropped four sets across four matches, flirting with the idea of a shock exit. But as the sun set over SW19, this was the Spaniard in a hurry. Unshakeable and indomitable.
For British singles ambitions in the post-Andy Murray era? A final farewell. Cameron Norrie was not the left-handed home favourite most expected in the quarter-finals and, for that, we can only give the British No 3 credit for his gutsy run to the last eight, in the wake of Jack Draper’s disappointing second-round exit. But, truth be told, an upset did not look remotely likely on Tuesday evening, with Alcaraz victorious in one hour and 39 minutes: 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
Three years ago, Norrie entered the realm of public consciousness with a low-key run to the semi-finals here, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets. Alcaraz, of course, has been the only player to beat Djokovic at Wimbledon since 2017. And with Jannik Sinner a wounded warrior ahead of his quarter-final on Wednesday, perhaps a final between the Spaniard and the Serb for the third consecutive year is falling into place for Sunday afternoon.
Five-time grand slam winner Alcaraz, on a 23-match win streak now dating back to April, is in the form of his life. This was his best performance of the tournament to date, swatting aside a powerless Norrie with efficiency and panache. Thirty-nine winners compared to 13 for Norrie told the tale of the tape. It was Alcaraz in peak brutality mode.
“I’m really happy with the level I played today against a difficult player like Cam,” the 22-year-old said, on court, afterwards. “To play another semi-final here at Wimbledon is really special.”
Alcaraz now has two days off ahead of his semi-final on Friday. World No 5 Taylor Fritz will present his trickiest test to date, with the American having won 13 of his 14 matches on grass this year, including two titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. That being said, Fritz has not won a set in two previous meetings.
“He’s playing great, the grass season for him has been really successful so far,” Alcaraz said of Fritz. “I’ve got to be ready for this battle. Two days is going to be great to rest up a little bit. I’m just going to make the most of the time with my family, and for sure play some golf.”
Alcaraz’s forays on the golf course have taken on a whole world of their own this fortnight, given his much-talked-about contests against Murray. Yet while the Spaniard may have been on the receiving end of a few losses against the fellow two-time Wimbledon champion, there was no such danger of a British triumph on Tuesday.
Norrie entered Centre Court for the first time in this year’s Championships – in part due to his preference for No 1 Court, in part due to his lack of star billing – with a patch of sunscreen below his eyes. Protection from the rays of the mid-twenties temperatures or a nebulous attempt at intimidation? Either way, it was a Tom Brady-esque look for the world No 61, against a player with a real eye on becoming the greatest tennis player of all time.
And from the moment four break points came and went for Norrie in Alcaraz’s first service game, the arduous battle in the face of the second seed’s typical explosiveness and guile began.
Having held serve throughout all four and a half hours of his mammoth five-set win in the last round against Nicolas Jarry, Norrie gifted a break straight away to the Spaniard, via a limp double fault, before Alcaraz secured a double break with a whipped forehand pass, plumb on the line.
Alcaraz is known somewhat for his slow starts, but no such difficulties here. The state of play had been earmarked; first set done and dusted in 28 minutes.
For Norrie, the South African-born, Kiwi-raised, American-educated last British singles representative at Wimbledon this year, plan B was quickly implemented. This included serving while positioned right next to the doubles tramline while on the advantage side, generating extra width with his lefty whip. It also included an extra spring in his step of flat-hitting inside the baseline, a nod to setting the tone instead of reacting to it.
None of it worked. Alcaraz was quickly up another break in the second, winning a brief battle of the drop shots, before serving his way out of trouble when break point down. In many ways, it was a microcosm of the match: brief glimpses of opportunity for Norrie were obliterated by Alcaraz as quickly as one of his cannonball forehands. The Spaniard, in the end, won the second set with another break of serve.
Norrie won their last meeting on the clay of Rio de Janeiro two years ago, when Alcaraz was just a teenager. Now, this lad from Murcia in southeastern Spain is looking to add his name to the honours board at the All England Club for the third time, aged just 23. Only a fool would bet against him at this juncture.
Norrie’s hopes faded with finality midway through the third set with a backhand straying long, a break down once more, and an agonising look up to his player’s box. They had no answers. Nor did he. And when Alcaraz is in this sort of form on the southwest London stage he has made his own, perhaps nobody does.
