Carlos Alcaraz’s Unexpected Path to the ATP Finals Semi-Finals

Did you expect Carlos Alcaraz to qualify for the semi-finals when you saw him lose on the second day of the ATP Finals?

I was waiting for a reaction from Carlos. He felt like he still had something left in the tank for the season. I think the fact that he had to play against someone like Rublev the next day didn’t make him think so much, because Rublev played very aggressive and direct. I think that helped him find his rhythm and his creativity again, and let it all out, because I think in the last few months he was playing with the handbrake a little bit. He wasn’t that loose or that relaxed. Yes, I think he knew that he could win against Rublev and even against Medvedev. I think he had control of the game, and that was very important for him. He felt that he was the one in charge on the court.

What impressed you most about your performance against Medvedev?

For me, the most important thing I saw in that match, was the way he moved again, the way he defended himself and the way he dominated, also with his forehand, his backhand mixed a little, some slices and also the rest. It had been a while since we had seen him enjoy and do his little tricks and games and laugh a little with the audience. I think he was also very serious from time to time in the last month, because maybe it’s a different time, and if you don’t feel good, you don’t feel happy on the court. But what I liked most is that he has gained confidence. And I think for Medvedev it was also a different match. He already knew that he was in the semifinals. He was classified, and I’m not so sure he felt like he needed to spend three and a half hours. I think that the pace that Carlitos imposed in the match was crucial for the Spaniard.

How do you foresee tonight’s big clash, the one that everyone expects between Alcaraz and Djokovic?

It’s a bit of a mystery for both of them because they both fought to get into the semi-finals. I think Carlitos is in a crescendo. He feels better. He is confident having won his last two games. That always gives you a boost of confidence. At the same time, I feel like Novak is where he wanted to be. I just wanted to be in the semi-finals and from now on we may see a different Novak, someone a little more aggressive. I think the fact that he made it to the semi-finals at the last minute made him feel a little relieved and say, okay, I have nothing more to prove. I’ve won here, ready? Six times. I’m ready. I’m going to be perfectly 100% for this match. I think it’s fresh. I sort of needed to lose a match before reaching the semi-finals. He’s been kind of fighting, fighting a lot, recovering from difficult games. He ended up winning the tournament in Paris and then the first round at the Masters, also suffering a lot. So for him it was a bit of a step back and now it’s okay, I’m ready again. So I’m expecting like a huge battle and he has the advantage, especially mentally, we know that in Cincinnati Alcaraz was really close to taking a big advantage in the rivalry of him against Djokovic. He did not do it. So who comes with the advantage?

I think Novak should be a little more favorite for this match considering he is on his best surface. He has six wins here. He knows how to deal with these types of games. If you are a Spanish player, you were born mainly on clay and your whole life you have been practicing and playing and thinking about this surface. Then you improve a lot on hard court like Carlitos did. But playing indoors is not your natural surface, which for Novak is like being more or less like a Spaniard on clay. So I think he should be the one who dominates a little more. I expect a very close match, but I think Novak has a great weapon with his serve. I think it’s going to be crucial, the serve. For Carlos it will also be important to have a good serve percentage because he does not want to play with all the pressure of seconds. I think he needs, of course, to play fast, but he doesn’t need to rush so much. The conditions are quite fast this week and it seems that it is not so easy for the players to defend themselves.

So the one who takes the lead on the point is usually the one who is winning the points and dominating. Although I think Novak, I’m not saying Carlitos can’t beat him, but I think he should feel a little more comfortable heading into the semifinals.

Alcaraz-Medvedev summary: To the semifinals with another expected duel against Djokovic (6-4 and 6-4)

And mentally, do you think Cincinnati is going to be in Alcaraz’s head in some way?

I don’t think Cincinnati should matter in this match because it’s as if we think that the Wimbledon finals can also affect. I know it was on a hard court and I know it is more similar than the game they are playing tonight, but it is more as if they were preparing, they understand each other, they know each other, they have been training. I think it’s great. It’s a great example that you can be a great player, but you don’t need to hide anything. You can train and see how you feel with your rivals. After all, the better players train, the more they improve. So I think they’re both very intelligent, very smart, very mature to do that. I have more of the feeling that the track makes the difference. It’s indoors, there’s no wind, it’s easier to serve, which is key for Novak. I think he’s served pretty easily this week. Even in the match he lost against Sinner he was serving a lot of aces. So I think that’s going to be crucial. And also the depth of the backhand of both players, I think it will be very important to then dominate with the forehand, especially for Carlitos.

I think that if he is able to hit let’s say 65, 70% of the time with his forehand, it will be different than if he just sticks backhand to backhand. That’s why I think it can be very important for him to also change the line with the backhand because normally Novak should go cross and then the center will be open. Both are going to give everything they have and know that they can’t hold anything back in the locker room because if they don’t play at 100%, they have no chance.

Do you think it is important for Alcaraz to end the year on a high note, would it perhaps be significant for the start of next year if he could at least finish with a big win against Djokovic?

I think that what Alcaraz has done is enough to feel happy with the season, to say, okay, I had an incredible season. It was very important for him to win these couple of games in the last few days because as he was mentally a little down, he needed to beat these top ten, these good players to finish the season a little calmer with himself. He needs to know that the season is long, that he will also have to deal with the schedule, that he will learn to manage it because it is very difficult to play 80 games a year being as explosive as he is. So he may see how to handle the schedule for 24. But no matter what happened tonight, I think his season has already been incredible. I mean, it’s a perfect season and, of course, once you’re in the semi-final of the ATP Finals, you want to win and you’re going to go for more. But it will not affect either of them, neither for Djokovic nor for Alcaraz will it make any difference. What’s more, a bit of the feeling that you are beating your biggest rival of the moment. It’s the feeling of this game, but not of thinking about next season. It won’t affect anything.

My last question is about the big issue of Paris-Bercy since before starting the tournament, both of them were training together. They trained in Paris, they trained together again before the final, in fact, Carlitos played the last of the sets, six one, I think. Who does it favor and what do you think of the fact that they play together?

I love that they train with each other because they show that they are mature, that they are prepared to understand it. Listen, I’m going to play my match a few days later. I won’t face you until the semi-finals or final, and you want to improve. And when you play against someone who is that good, you always improve things. I think it is very important that both share training with each other, because you grow up when you have seen all those players, it happened to me with Jim Courier, for example. I trained with him at the beginning and I was so impressed and I was so shocked to train with him that it was very difficult for me because I looked at him so impressed. The same thing happened to me with Boris Becker. I was training with him and I didn’t know where to serve, where to return, how to stand on the second serve.

2023-11-18 18:49:00
#ATP #Finals #Corretja #analyzes #AlcarazDjokovic #weve #Carlos #enjoy