Carlos Alcaraz feels Danill Medvedev could find it challenging to contend with the nerves on Centre Court during their highly-anticipated Wimbledon semi-final.
Alcaraz defeated Holger Rune comfortably in straight sets on Centre Court during the quarter-final. As a result, the 20-year-old ATP world number one progressed to his first-ever Wimbledon semi-finals and will face third seed Medvedev, who defeated Chris Eubanks in a five-set epic on court one in the final eight.
The match against Alcaraz will be Medvedev's first encounter on Centre Court this season as four of his previous five matches at Wimbledon came on court one. When speaking to Eurosport about the prestige of Centre Court, Alcaraz said the setting causes nerves for some players and he believes Medvedev might feel the pressure in their semi-final meeting.
"The aura that you live on Centre Court is different than the other ones."
"I can only talk with my limited experience, but for me the first time playing on Centre Court was really tough to deal with the nerves about playing in this beautiful court. I hope Daniil will feel the same."
Before the semi-final match, Alcaraz could be attempting to play mind games against his Russian opponent, especially after Medvedev knocked out the Spanish player in the fourth round during the 2021 Wimbledon.
However, Alcaraz levelled the scores to 1-1 on head-to-head meetings. The 20-year-old defeated Medvedev in straight sets in their most recent clash - the Indian Wells final, which Alcaraz won 6-3, 6-2 in March.
Despite Alcaraz's admission that Medvedev might find the adaptation to Centre Court difficult, the world number one did also acknowledge that his upcoming opponent could equally be ready to take on the challenge on the famous court.
"But every player is different and I don't know how he's going to feel about playing Centre Court."
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