Carlos Alcaraz fired a warning to Novak Djokovic with a showdown in the US Open final still on the cards. The world No 1 said he was planning to make all of his opponents “suffer” in his matches, with the 36-year-old being no exception.
Alcaraz is the defending champion at this year’s US Open and has so far had a relatively easy run, reaching the quarter-final by dropping just one set across his first four matches. But some tennis fans won’t be happy until the top seed and Djokovic both reach the final.
The pair have faced off four times in the past, with their head-to-head split at 2-2. They have also met in the last three tournaments they both played in – the French Open, Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open. Their matches at the latter two events came in the final, with Alcaraz winning at SW19 and Djokovic getting revenge a few weeks later.
As both men get closer to another championship match showdown at the US Open, Alcaraz is already feeling confident given the experience he has racked up at other Grand Slam tournaments. “Yes, the truth is yes. I’ve already experienced important situations in Grand Slams,” the 20-year-old told Eurosport.
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“Even though I’m only 20 years old I feel a little bit experienced in these types of situations, which means there are many moments which I take with much more calmness than maybe before.”
Part of that experience means that the two-time Major champion knows that he makes his opponents “suffer” if they want to try and defeat him. Alcaraz continued: “And I can play calmer knowing that if people want to beat me, they’re going to have to suffer, run a lot, and play a very, very high level for a long time.
“Physically I feel good, mentally quite good and tennis-wise I think I am playing at a high level, so in these situations I feel calmer.” It’s something the reigning US Open champion believes he has already been able to do in his first four matches in New York.
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“What we’re trying to do in each match, I think I’ve done that incredibly well,” he added. “Playing aggressively, trying to go up to the net a lot of times, keeping the rest of my game tight – basically my game style. I think I haven’t doubted it at any moment, I’ve been faithful to my style in every moment of matches.”
For now, Alcaraz will be hoping to make Alexander Zverev suffer as he faces the 12th seed in the quarter-final. The German leads their head-to-head by three wins to two losses and he was victorious in their only Grand Slam meeting at last year’s US Open. The Spaniard won their only match of 2023 at the Madrid Open.
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