Quote of the Day: Carlos Alcaraz’s four reasons why Novak Djokovic is “a beast”

WATCH: What Does Carlos Alcaraz Admire About Novak Djokovic? He's A Physical & Mental "Beast" | Wimbledon

Nobody pinch him, because Carlos Alcaraz is living the dream.

The 20-year-old charged past No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Friday to reach his second Grand Slam final, and his first at Wimbledon. On Sunday, he will take on Novak Djokovic in the championship match, with the defending champion going for both an all-time record-breaking 24th Grand Slam title and the ATP world No. 1 ranking.

For Alcaraz, who grew up watching the Big 3 on television, it’s another surreal moment in his young career. He’s grown increasingly used to competing with his childhood idols for trophies—now, he stands in the way between Djokovic and tennis history at Wimbledon.

“It's going to be a really emotional moment for me. But I'll try to stay calm in that moment,” Alcaraz told press after his semifinal win.

“For Novak it’s one more day, one more moment. For me, it's going to be the best moment of my life I think.”

On Centre Court on Sunday, Alcaraz knows he will be up against “a beast” in Djokovic, the Big 3 player who inspired his own “complete” all-court style of tennis:

Q. We know you grew up idolizing Roger. What is Novak to you? What do you admire about him?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I grew up watching him, as well. I mean, he has beating all the big guys, Roger and Rafa, when he was younger.

Being the guy he is right now, everything he has been through is amazing. As I said before, he has no weakness. He's really complete guy, really complete player. He's amazing. He does nothing wrong on the court. Physically he's a beast. Mentally he's a beast. Everything is unbelievable for him.

I think it's a mix of everything that I admire him the most.

The monumental task that awaits Alcaraz this weekend at Wimbledon: Figuring out how to overcome a player who a) has no weaknesses, b) does nothing wrong on court, and is c) physically a beast and d) mentally a beast—while playing on his opponent’s favorite court.

Thankfully for Alcaraz, he already has experience in defeating Djokovic. The Spaniard defeated both Djokovic and countryman Nadal en route to the title at the Madrid Open in 2022. But it will be his most recent encounter with Djokovic that will likely be on his mind.

Last month at Roland Garros, Alcaraz and Djokovic faced off in a highly anticipated semifinal clash, but it ended in disappointment, as full-body cramps derailed the 20-year-old’s progress. He completed the match, but it was nowhere near as competitive as was expected of Alcaraz—something he has vowed to improve in their rematch on Sunday.

“I will try to get into the court with not as much nerves as I probably had in French Open, in the semifinal,” he said. “I will try to pull out all nerves, try to enjoy that moment because probably in the semifinal at the French Open I didn't enjoy at all in the first set...

“I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll do some exercise to stay calm and to forget—or I'll try to forget that I'm going to play a final against Novak.”