Earlier this week, NBA superstar Jimmy Butler took to Instagram to talk about tennis. Specifically, Butler wanted to talk about Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz is currently the #1 men's player in the world and widely considered, being just 20 years old, the next generational talent of the sport. Alcaraz won the US Open in 2022. Entering Wimbledon as the top seed, he was the player to hold that honor outside of the "Big Four" since 2003. After Alcaraz's 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Matteo Berrettini, Butler declared that he would be traveling to London to see Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
It's already been a thrilling edition of the penultimate Grand Slam tournament of the year. Fans had to be warned over the weekend not to pop champagne bottles during play. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic continues his pursuit for a record-tying 24th open-era title, as well as a record-tying fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina, the former world #3 who was as low as #1344 in April, stunned the women's #1 Iga Świątek. Svitolina will fight for a place in her first Grand Slam final against #42 Markéta Vondroušová. Svitolina previously reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2019.
Butler Keeps His Promise
True to his word, Butler was in SW19 come Tuesday. While Alcaraz wasn't due on the court till Wednesday, Butler still took in the sights, sounds, and fans. Furthermore, when Wednesday did roll around, cameras quickly picked out Butler amongst the crowds on center court as Alcaraz took on #6 Holger Rune. It was truly the battle of the young stars, both amongst the golden generation of young tennis stars. Neither player had ever reached the semifinals of Wimbledon before. In fact, neither player had made the quarterfinals before their respective funs in 2023.
After two grueling matches, Alcaraz was able to dispatch his top-ten opponent in straight sets, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4. That set up a July 14 semifinal against #3 Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev reached the semifinals after ending the Cinderella run of #43 Christopher Eubanks. It is widely expected that Alcaraz will face Djokovic in Sunday's final. However, Djokovic must first overcome #8 Janik Sinner in the semifinals. It's unknown whether Butler will be sticking around the rest of the week, but we hope he had a good time.
[via]