Alcaraz: 'I cannot find a solution to defeat Medvedev'

"He played so well, I couldn't find a solution," Alcaraz said of the semi-final against Medvedev. "I used to think I was a strong player now, able to find solutions when the match didn't go my way. But after the semi-finals, I had to think again. I'm not mature enough to control these types of matches. I still have to learn a lot."

Alcaraz played better in the first set, winning all 18 points at the net early in the match as he exploited his position deep behind Medvedev's baseline. But things haven't gone as planned for Alcaraz since the first set tie-break, where he lost 3-7. In the second set, the Spanish player quickly lost 1-6, helpless before the Russian opponent's persistent defense and good counterattack.

Alcaraz won the third set after coming out of the tunnel. In set four, Medvedev continued to step back to return, while Alcaraz wanted to serve and finish immediately. However, Medvedev returned the ball better, forcing opponents to make many mistakes when hitting the net. Better serving ability also helped the 1.98 m tall player defend break points, to reach the final against Novak Djokovic.

"He plays with more speed in his shots," Alcaraz commented on the opponent he beat at Wimbledon and Indian Wells this year. "His forehand when he had to move was amazing. In the previous rounds, the slice helped me a lot in controlling the game, but today it didn't help. He found the perfect direction to hit." , made no mistakes, served great and returned the best of the tournament."

Alcaraz also said that he was surprised that Medvedev, despite standing far away from the baseline, still served deep and strong. The 20-year-old player laughed when describing the situations he played at the net in the next three sets, and admitted that he was completely defeated by his senior's counter-attacks.

Alcaraz scored 45 winners to Medvedev's 38, but it was the Russian who won most of the persistent series. Alcaraz hit the net 70 times in the semi-finals, twice the number of net appearances in the 3-0 win over Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. A net winning rate of 77% was not enough for Alcaraz, on the day he scored his opponent 10 points.

Losing to Medvedev, Alcaraz became a former US Open champion. He will lose the world number one position to Djokovic next week. On September 10, Nole and Medvedev will repeat the 2021 final. That year, the Russian won 3-0 and ended Djokovic's hopes of winning the Calendar Slam (four Grand Slams in the same year).