Carlos Alcaraz, at age 20, reached the first semifinal of the ATP Finals. Murciano will have a big challenge this Saturday. And on the other side of the net awaits you Novak Djokovicthe best tennis player in history, champion of 24 majors and who’s looking for a seventh wound as a teacher.
Match with Djokovic
“I dream of winning this tournament, but first I have one of the best in history, the best in the world at the moment. I will have to use my best tennis if I want to beat him.”
Sensations
“I feel like I’m playing at the level I was in the first part of the year. I spoke to Juan Carlos after the first match about giving everything I had because it’s the last tournament of the year. I thought about that in training before playing Rublev and it showed in the game. I had to have fun on the court, without thinking about the classification. That was one of the keys.”
My smile returned and this was reflected in these games
Chat with Ferrero
“After the first game, I talked to Juan Carlos. Something was happening. In the last tournaments, the people closest to me, those who don’t know me much, saw that I wasn’t having the same attitude, having fun and Juan Carlos opened up my eyes. It was the last tournament of the year and I had to leave everything I had inside and leave mental fatigue aside. We talked about the level and what we had to do. My game is going well based on whether I like it, smile or not. ” “The smile returned and was reflected in these two games.”
The Roland Garros cramping episode
“I’m stronger mentally than I was in Paris. I didn’t handle the pressure well there and I learned from that. Then came Wimbledon and Cincinnati, where I played well. If you play Djokovic, you need to feel mentally strong to try to win.”
Preparation
“It’s going to be a very mental game and you need to be prepared in that aspect. I expect the best version of Novak. We’re in the semifinals of the ATP Finals, he’s already won six times and will use that experience. He’ll try to put a lot of pressure on me and be faithful to your style.
Title candidate
“After the level I saw today and with Rublev, I’m thinking things and it’s not that I’m going to win, but I’m going to give myself the opportunity to do so. Today I played a little better and hopefully tomorrow I’ll do a little better.”
Attractive round robin format
“Yesterday I watched the Sinner and Rune game with excitement because I didn’t know who qualified. What makes this format special is that it only happens once a year. Other than that, I’m a classic.”
