Carlos Alcaraz was in understandably buoyant form after repeating his 2023 semi-final victory over Daniil Medvedev, to reach the final here again. Having defeated the No.5 seed 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, just one more win will mean Alcaraz not only successfully defends the crown he won here so sensationally last year, but also retains a Grand Slam title for the first time.

But while he was happy, he was not gung-ho about the quality of his victory in this match.

“Honestly, I feel I've played better matches this year here – against Tommy Paul, for example (in the last eight),” he said. “Obviously Daniil and Tommy have differing styles of play and you have to adapt your game to both matches.

“But I’m coming into a final feeling great, with a really high level of tennis, moving well, with a really high level of confidence for really good results on Sunday. It's great to be back in a Wimbledon final and I’m going to enjoy it for sure.”

The pattern of his campaign this year has been quite different from 2023. Back then he had lost in the Roland-Garros semi-final to Novak Djokovic before arriving on these shores as the pretender on grass. Visibly learning the ways of the surface match by match, he won first at Queen’s and then triumphed over Djokovic in a five-set thriller to lift the title here.

But this time around, he lifted the Roland-Garros crown before Jack Draper halted his defence at Queen’s. His form at Wimbledon has been less than unimprovable, with Frances Tiafoe pushing him the distance in the third round. Yet even when he has not played well, he has navigated a path to win.

“I’m not going to lie – it’s difficult switching from clay to grass,” acknowledged Alcaraz. “Everybody could see at Queen’s that I didn’t play well and had a lot of work to do.

“I needed hours of practice on grass just to be better, to try to feel as comfortable as I can. There’s no secret to it. You have to put in work and trust that it’s going to be better.”

For his part Medvedev was philosophical in defeat, even on the subject of the warning he received during the first set. Umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore ruled correctly that the No.5 seed had not reached an Alcaraz drop shot before it bounced twice, resulting in a break of serve to the Spaniard.

Medvedev reacted to the call of ‘not up’ with a verbal volley aimed directly at the umpire. After consulting with the tournament referee and supervisor, she delivered a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

In his post-match press conference Medvedev referenced a previous occasion when the same umpire had judged the ball to be not up, during a match he eventually lost.

“So I had this in my mind and I thought – again, against me,” he said, adding that his words to Asderaki-Moore this time were spoken in his own language, rather than English. “I thought – again, against me. I said something not unpleasant, not over the line. I got a code for it. The meaning was not nice here.

“I don't know why we don’t use the Hawk-Eye challenge system for a double bounce. It would be so much easier.”

Meanwhile, Alcaraz does not think himself invincible merely because he is in the final again. “I go into every match thinking that I have the chance to lose,” said the No.3 seed. “Every match, it’s a war. Your opponent is going to play his best tennis to beat you.

“I’m working on controlling my nerves. Having them is normal and good. But when you’re not controlling it, it’s difficult to deal with situations and play your best tennis – that’s what happened to me in the first set here.

“I was struggling to play calmly on my service games. It was in a rush. After I lost that set, I calmed myself and started to play better.

“Honestly, since the tournament began I have not thought I’m the defending champion. I try to be better every day, to play better tennis every match.”

The plan is working out fine so far this Fortnight. But the ultimate test lies ahead on Sunday.