Carlos Alcaraz (2) capitalizes on his solid 6-4 6-2 win over Serbian Dusan Lajovic (90) which allowed him to enter the semifinals of the Argentina Open, played on the clay of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
“I feel good and better than the first game. I knew the match was going to be tough because they were a tough opponent and I had to stay focused from the start to try to dominate the match and not let my opponent get aggressive.”, declared the current world number two in the press conference after his victory.
“I felt more confident and in better physical condition. In some passages of the game I played well and I knew what I had to do on the court. I improved compared to my debut in the tournament in Buenos Aires. Today I took a step towards my best level that I can reach with the possibility to play and stay in the competition”, explained the 19-year-old Murcian.
“I was a player when I was little very frustrated, but in my professional career I have broken very few and I will tell you that no rackets. Maybe I did it when I was a child but I realized that you don’t get anywhere because in the end you have to control yourself. Because I always said that first you play against yourself and then against your rival and if you don’t control yourself you will never be able to win”, he clarified regarding the broken rackets in the circuit.
When asked about the relationship he gives to psychology in tennis, Carlos Alcaraz emphasized: “My team and I both know how important psychological issues and well-being are. Difficult moments and difficulties will appear in a match, so you have to be ready to overcome and reach your best level. It’s clear to me that I enjoy playing tennis and that’s why I love going out on the court. Thanks for smiling and having a good time I achieved my best game”
“It’s important to have a group that supports and goes with you because you make fewer mistakes and the whole world doesn’t catch you.. Because some of them have been through the place I’m going and can advise you better than others. In the end, learning from experiences is the most important thing. Having Juan Carlos (Ferrero), (Antonio) Cascales and Albert (Molina) who have followed the career of many tennis players helps you not to make the mistakes they made and move on faster and better”, he added when he thought about the team around him. .
“Tennis players experience different situations every week and every day. So a tennis player must adapt to the events that come in a short period of time. That differentiates the very good from the rest: overcoming adversity is a plus. From a very hot and humid climate (Wednesday) to a very cold one with wind (this Friday) is the best possible adaptation and that’s what I did”, he clarified after playing his match against Lajovic with a temperature close to 10 degrees and after avoiding Wednesday’s tournament debut against Serbian Laslo Djere with over 35.
“I am a very approachable person and I know how to differentiate the competition from what is off-piste. I have very good friends with whom I shared junior and it has been a while since I saw them and reunited with them, it makes you happy. I try to get along well with a lot of people that I spend most of the year with and hanging out with them doesn’t help much. I try to be friendly and close,” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
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