Carlos Alcaraz Will face today, Friday, at 2:30 pm, the first serious test of Wimbledon 2024. The champion, 21 years old and world No. 3, will face the American Frances Tiafoe26 years old and number 29, a rival who has been on the wane of late, although he maintains the explosiveness of his game and on a positive day he can put anyone in trouble.
Although it looked nowhere near the level of the 2022 US Open semifinals, when he took a youngster to the fifth set Carlos Alcaraz, then won in New York. It’s a colorful rivalry, as both have colorful games and love to connect in the stands.
Alcaraz won 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5) and 6-3, leveling the score at 1-1, as Tiafoe was the executioner of the Murcian on his debut in Godó, in 2021 , by 6-4 and 7-6 (2).
Tiafoe wore a knee brace on his right knee, the result of a fall at Queen’s a few weeks ago. A slip that nearly cost him his presence at the All England Club.
It came and made a noise. He sent a message in which he explained his frustration with the poor results of recent times, when he was in the top-10 and sought to woo the best. The locker room didn’t like him calling his teammates “clowns”.
“I’m losing to clowns lately. I hate to say it, but I’m honest,” he commented after coming back against the Italian. Matteo Arnaldi two sets down in the first round.
In that qualifier, denigrating the peers he measured himself against, Tiafoe he diverted a speech criticizing himself. “Last year I was top-10 and this year I was barely seeded. I took tennis for granted, I settled in. And you forget what you did to win. You start to doubt yourself and all this kind of things, ” he meant.
He had never held his tongue. “I’m going for him,” he said when asked about Alcaraz, who also gave the same answer when asked about it.
There is a good relationship between them. “Although when you step on the court there are no friends. You have to focus on yourself to try to beat him.”
Note that “French He’s a great player, a great person too. He always gave the impression of being pleased with himself. He wants a show. It will be fun to play and watch. I will try to deploy all my weapons to defeat him,” the Murcian completed.
Source: La Verdad
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