‘It pushes us all to become better’: Stefanos Tsitsipas, world number 5 and two-time Grand Slam finalist, is still searching for the key against world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz ahead of their French Open quarter-final on Tuesday and considers every opportunity to do so challenge as a source of progress. Invited to qualify for his upcoming quarter-final against Alcaraz, “it’s the clash we’ve all been waiting for,” said the 24-year-old Greek.
Objectively, the shock anticipated since the draw is rather in the potential semi-final between the young Spaniard and Novak Djokovic, the two main favorites of Roland-Garros in the absence of Rafael Nadal. However, the duel scheduled for the evening between Tsitsipas and “Carlitos” remains enticing. And, even led 4-0 (2-0 on ocher) in his face-to-face with the protege of Juan Carlos Ferrero, there was no question of being discouraged for the finalist of the 2021 edition.
Intensity
“Carlos maintains a high intensity all the time. He is someone who is not going to give you moments of inattention. He is hyper energetic, it shows on the court, in the rallies, in the way he plays, describes Tsitsipas. And of course he has that smile, which helps him a lot as he says. Right now, it’s one of the biggest challenges, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome.” “It pushes us all to get better. That kind of rivalry is the hardest part of our sport. But somehow playing against him as often as possible maybe gives you more chances. to beat him, that’s what I’m looking for,” he said.
His last experience, in the final in Barcelona at the end of April, had not been conclusive. Dominated 6-3, 6-4 in less than an hour and a half, Tsitsipas preferred to joke about it. “Carlos, relax, my brother, relax. To love is to share,” he told Alcaraz. It’s that the bouncing kid from El Palmar (near Murcia) is the hurried type. Barely more than two and a half years passed between his first match won on the ATP circuit, in February 2020, and his accession to the throne of world No.1, last September, in the wake of his first Grand Slam coronation. , at the US Open.
His 2023 season, even launched late in mid-February due to a muscle injury which deprived him of the Australian Open, is already rich, before Roland-Garros, with four trophies in seven tournaments played. “I’ve never had the opportunity to be more aggressive, describes his most recent victim, the talented Italian Lorenzo Musetti (18th), another face called to embody the new generation of world tennis, off 6-3, 6-2 , 6-2 in the round of 16. I was too rushed, too confused, (…) not lucid. But of course, there is someone on the other side of the net.
Triple requirement
“He served really well, and we know that he’s one of the best moving players on the circuit, that he likes to drop shots and spin around his backhand, with his aggressive and heavy forehand. I think that he showed today (Sunday) that he could surely win the tournament, he continues. He is a complete player, physically, mentally, and + tennistically +. At the moment, it is really difficult to beat, especially on clay.” “I’m a big fan,” admits Canadian Denis Shapovalov, beaten by Alcaraz in the third round. “He’s super humble with what he’s accomplished at such a young age. You can see how much he enjoys being on the court, and what’s happening to him. It’s not easy being N.1 so young, with all the expectations around him. I really admire him.”
With 24 matches won in 26 played on ocher in 2023, and three titles, in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and above all Madrid, plus a final in Rio, Alcaraz is sure of its strength. “I feel very good physically, it’s very important in a Grand Slam. I’m mentally fresh. And ‘tennistically’, I set a fairly high pace,” he summarizes.
“I know that if my opponents want to beat me, they must have very, very high mental, tennis and physical requirements, which is very difficult to maintain” a whole match, underlines Alcaraz. “I always say that the very good ones, Djokovic, Rafa (Nadal), Federer, who have dominated in Grand Slams for so long, it’s because they have the ability to maintain this triple requirement for a very long time, “in In this sense, I try to be like them”.