ATP Finals 2023 - Carlos Alcaraz : "This victory changed everything in my head. I'm not thinking about the holidays, but about being in the semi-final of this fantastic tournament"
Fin de la deuxième journée des phases de poules des ATP Finals ce mercredi. À 14h30, dans la première rencontre du jour, on retrouvait les deux perdants de la première journée, Carlos Alcaraz et Andrey Rublev. L'Espagnol a décroché sa première victoire dans cette compétition en dominant le Russe 7-5, 6-2. Alcaraz reste en vie tandis que Rublev est éliminé. Ensuite, en soirée, Daniil Medvedev défiera Alexander Zverev pour la 18e fois. Le vainqueur prendra la tête du Groupe Rouge.
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00:00 I think it was a pretty good match for my side.
00:03 I think the key was to show my game.
00:07 It doesn't matter if I could have won or lost.
00:14 It's just to show my style, my game,
00:17 and I think that I did that pretty well.
00:21 Can you remember the last time you lost three matches in a row?
00:28 It's been a long time, I would imagine.
00:31 Did it mess with your head?
00:35 Did it shake you at all?
00:36 How did you cope with that the last couple of days?
00:42 Honestly, I don't remember.
00:45 I saw it was in 2021,
00:47 but I don't remember the matches right now.
00:50 It was a long time ago that I lost three matches in a row.
00:57 But I tried not to think about it after the first match.
01:04 I just tried to practise well,
01:09 coming into this match with a little bit more confidence than I did.
01:13 I fell in the first match.
01:16 But the three losses in a row, I didn't think about it.
01:22 Could you tell us about your emotions after this win?
01:25 It seems to me like it's a huge relief for you, winning this match.
01:30 Well, I'm really, really happy with the win today.
01:36 Beating Adroulhev, such a great player,
01:40 gives you a lot of confidence.
01:43 Obviously, it's a little bit more special
01:48 to win after the loss in the first match.
01:53 It was really tough for me.
01:56 You could see I've been struggling with my level
02:01 the last few months, a few tournaments.
02:05 Playing this match in this quality, at this level,
02:11 it's really helpful for me coming into the third one.
02:15 I'm really happy to show this level
02:17 and realise that my level is still there.
02:21 I'm giving myself a chance in this tournament.
02:25 What's the key, especially against Rublev, today for you?
02:28 Well, I'm going to say to be more aggressive than him.
02:33 I know that it's really difficult to be more aggressive than Rublev,
02:38 because everybody knows his power, his forehand, his shots.
02:42 But I think I was a little bit more than him.
02:46 I practised yesterday really well,
02:48 focused on hitting the good shots really hard.
02:52 I tried to show it today. I think that was the key.
02:56 The other day you said you were a little mentally tired,
03:00 because after this long season and difficult season,
03:05 how are you going to face, eventually, Medvedev
03:11 if Zverev wins and your match will be like a quarter of the finals?
03:17 The one who wins will be in the semi-finals.
03:20 How difficult is it when in the back of your mind you think,
03:24 "Oh, I'm a bit tired.
03:25 I would like to stop playing for this year
03:29 and go on vacation to some islands"?
03:31 Well, after this win, everything has changed in my mind.
03:40 I'm going to prepare the match
03:44 in the same way that I did today.
03:48 I will try to show my best and I will try to beat Medvedev.
03:54 The last match he beat me in playing at a high level.
03:59 I will try to take that match in the EU Open
04:04 and I will try to be better.
04:10 I'm going to take the positive things
04:17 and the negative things about this match
04:19 and I'll try to do it as best as I can on Friday.
04:25 I'm not thinking about the vacations right now.
04:29 I'm thinking to do my best
04:32 and try to qualify for the semi-final in this amazing tournament.
04:37 Did you see the match between Jannik and Novak?
04:41 If you're excited,
04:42 thinking about a possible match against Jannik here in Italy,
04:45 maybe in the semis or in the final?
04:49 Yeah, I saw it.
04:51 He's a huge fan of tennis.
04:53 It was one of the best matches of the year.
04:56 It was a high quality of tennis.
04:59 It was an unbelievable match, a really close one.
05:01 I think everybody enjoyed that match.
05:06 Probably a few of them,
05:08 there were a lot of nerves watching it.
05:12 But for me, I really enjoyed this match.
05:15 It was unbelievable.
05:16 And honestly,
05:20 it would be really tough if I faced Jannik here in Italy.
05:27 The crowd is going to be behind him.
05:30 But who knows?
05:32 I would love to play that battle against him,
05:36 but I think that every match that we face each other
05:39 is an amazing match, so let's see.
05:42 Last question.
05:44 Do you think Jannik is a real contender for the Grand Slam in 2024?
05:51 Absolutely.
05:52 I have no doubts about it.
05:54 He's one of those guys
06:00 who are able to win a Grand Slam.
06:04 I think he's going to reach number one in 2024.
06:08 He's going to give himself the chance to reach number one.
06:17 That's my prediction.
06:19 You played not so much indoors.
06:21 What do you find the most difficult indoors,
06:25 if you compare with outdoors?
06:28 Outdoors is slower.
06:30 The courts that we've been playing this year
06:39 were so slow.
06:40 So coming into the indoor courts,
06:42 everything is faster,
06:45 especially in this court, it's much faster than the other ones.
06:49 For me, it's a little bit difficult to adjust my game,
06:53 my movement into the matches.
06:56 But everything can change with good practice and good preparation.
07:03 But for me, it's a little bit difficult to adjust my game.