After qualifying for his fourth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, the Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz stated that he feels “at an advantage” against his rivals in these tournaments played in five sets.
Alcaraz decisively defeated Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night and will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, in what could be the final step towards the coveted final against Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
Q: What do you think about having qualified for your fourth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal at just 20 years old?
A: “I hadn’t thought about it but it’s great data. We try to do a good job in the Grand Slams, make these results seem normal. The players I face have to play at a very high level for a long time in order to beat me.
I feel at an advantage in the Grand Slams, then anything can happen but I feel very good physically and mentally and that can weigh on the other players.”
Q: What do you expect from the semifinals against Daniil Medvedev?
A: “I expect him to do something different, I’ve beaten him the last few times. I don’t know what kind of changes he’ll make but he’ll try different things.”
Q: Before the tournament started you said you would like a final against Djokovic. What do you think now that you are both just one match away from facing each other?
A: “It would be great to play a final against Novak here in New York but we both have very tough semifinals, so we’ll see, but we’re both looking for that final.”
Q: What do you think about young Ben Shelton, Djokovic’s rival?
A: “He’s a great player, he’s shown it by making the semifinals. He’s a player I like to watch and he really enjoys himself on the court.
A year ago he was playing college and a year later he’s in the semifinals of a Grand Slam against one of the greatest of all time. We’ll see what happens but he’s handling it with a lot of composure and maturity. Djokovic will have it tough.”
Q: What do you think about the criticism of the noise on the US Open’s center court?
A: “The murmur doesn’t distract me (…) If it’s a crowd of 20 or 30 people moving around or if they yell when I’m about to serve that can be distracting but not the murmur.
Tennis has always been tennis and you have to respect those rules. It’s a very precise sport, you need a lot of concentration and those are rules that must be followed.”
