Alcaraz: 'If the opponent wants to win, I will also fail'

"I'm much calmer now than before," Alcaraz told former tennis player Alex Corretja, in an interview with Eurosport on September 5 before the quarterfinals of the US Open. "If the opponent wants to beat me, he will have to suffer a lot. He has to run a lot, play at a very high level for a long time."

Alcaraz fell into a difficult branch at the US Open. In the quarterfinals, he had to face No. 12 seed Alexander Zverev - who was in good form and had just eliminated Jannik Sinner after five sets in the fourth round. Zverev once defeated Alcaraz in a Grand Slam, in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros 2022. If he defeats Zverev, Alcaraz must meet Daniil Medvedev or Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals, before most likely playing Novak Djokovic in the final.

In the most recent Grand Slam, Alcaraz won Wimbledon after defeating Nole. That victory helps Alcaraz a lot when approaching the next big matches at the Grand Slam. He said that he is calmer and more confident when entering difficult matches.

"I'm only 20 years old, but I have a lot of experience in important situations like this," the US Open champion added. "I feel like I'm doing well mentally and physically. I think I'm playing tennis at a high level."

At the US Open, Alcaraz just lost one set through the first four rounds. He defeated Dominik Koepfer, Lloyd Harris, Daniel Evans and Matteo Arnaldi on his way to a quarter-final against Zverev. "I did well from the start, playing hard and trying to get on the net whenever I could," Alcaraz said of his own performance. "I never doubted my style of play, always faithful to that style of play in every moment of the game."

Alcaraz's draw saw two quarter-finals that were judged equally, both taking place today. Medvedev met Rublev at 0:30 on September 7, Hanoi time. At 7:30 on the same day, Alcaraz faced Zverev.