Wimbledon: 'It a dream to play semifinal here', says world no 1 Carlos Alcaraz

London, July 13 (IANS) Chasing a second major title after triumphing at the US Open last year, World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, who is into his third major semifinal, said that it is a dream for him to be able to play semifinal here at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz reached the maiden Wimbledon semifinal on Wednesday when he defeated 20-year-old Holger Rune. For the Spaniard, it was another memorable moment in his already record-breaking career.

Alcaraz's match against the World No.6 Rune was the first men’s Wimbledon quarter-final battle in the Open Era (since 1968) to be contested between two players aged under 21.

"It's amazing for me. It's been a dream since I started playing tennis -– making good results here in Wimbledon, such a great tournament. I didn’t expect to play at such a great level on this surface. For me, it’s crazy.

"It was tough. In the beginning, I was really, really nervous playing the quarter-final here in Wimbledon but I'm going to say even more: playing against Rune, someone that is the same age as me, someone that is playing at a great level, it was tough to play with him. But I said before, once you get on the court, there are no friends. You have to be focused on yourself and I think I did great in that part," the Spaniard said in a post-match press conference.

In his bid for a second major title after triumphing at the US Open last year, Alcaraz will next face World No.3 Daniil Medvedev, who earned his 46th victory of the season against Christopher Eubanks on Wednesday, defeating the American in five sets.

Alcaraz lost against Medvedev at Wimbledon in straight sets in 2021 when he was No.75 in the ATP Rankings. The Spaniard has since risen to No.1 and lifted 11 tour-level titles and the youngster is hoping to learn from their previous meeting.

"He's playing great here on grass. He has had a great, great year as well. I lost the first match we played here on grass. So I have to learn about it…. He's a really complete player. I think Rublev said a few times, he's an octopus. He's an amazing athlete.

"But I am going to enjoy the semifinal. I think I'm playing great, a lot of confidence right now, so it's going to be a really good match I think," Alcaraz said.

The 20-year-old is aiming to become the third-youngest player to win the Wimbledon men’s singles crown in the Open Era. If he captures his second major crown this fortnight, the 2022 US Open champion is guaranteed to remain at No.1 in the ATP Rankings.