13 July,2023 10:11 AM IST | Wimbledon | mid-day online correspondent
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Pic: AFP)
Carlos Alcaraz's father filming Novak Djokovic during practice at Wimbledon did not go unnoticed.
Alcaraz, on being asked if that did, indeed, happen, he said he wouldn't be surprised if it did.
That's because Alcaraz's father is a big fan of tennis. Spends all day at the All England Club, even, watching plenty of players other than the No. 1-ranked 20-year-old known as 'Carlitos'.
Dad keeps an eye on matches. On practices, too. And so, sure, maybe he pulled out his phone and snapped some video of Djokovic, the son said.
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"To be able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he'd film the sessions," Alcaraz said.
The practice courts at Wimbledon are accessible to reporters and a limited number of fans, who often line up to watch the sport's biggest names during their sessions and then record some footage as a keepsake.
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Players practice on adjacent courts that have no walls or barriers between them, so they can keep tabs on each other, too.
If Alcaraz beats Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals on Friday, he might end up facing Djokovic in the final. Djokovic has won Wimbledon four times in a row and seven times overall. He plays Jannik Sinner in the other semifinal.
So could video captured by his father give Alcaraz an advantage?
"I don't think so," Alcaraz said. "I mean, I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform."
Last week, when he was asked how difficult it is to avoid thinking about a potential match-up against the Serb, owner of four consecutive trophies, and seven overall, at Wimbledon; owner of a men's-record 23 major championships in total, Alcaraz again dismissed the premise.
"Well, not only tennis fans, sports fans, want [that] final," Alcaraz said, his ever-present smile melting into a chuckle. "Myself, as well, honestly."
"But obviously," said Alcaraz, "my dream is to play a final here. Even better [if it] is Novak."
(With agency inputs)
