Alcaraz on how to stay calm – “If I’d have lost that point, I’d have lost the match”

The young Spaniard knows what it takes to win

Carlos Alcaraz in Toronto (Zuma/Panoramic)

August 11, 2023

Carlos Alcaraz was 5-2 up against Hubert Hurkacz in their National Bank Open round of 16 match before losing four games on the spin.

And the world No 1 spoke afterwards about how he dealt with the situation.

“I try not to think about what happened in that four games. I just believe, you know, in that moment I was going to show my best level that I was showing in the whole third set.

“I just tried to become, you know, the first point in the 5-6, it was massively the key. Because if I would have lost that point, probably I have lost the match.

Crystal clear what it means to him! 💎#NBO23 @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/Ik2Wrc7Zhm
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 11, 2023

“But, you know, I’m really happy, you know, to be able to stay calm, to stay strong mentally in that moment and to be able to get the win with a great tie-breaker in the third set.”

Indeed, he said on court: “The big players have that feeling to find a way to stay alive and try to end the match playing well.”

Alcaraz: The fans helped me be better

And he certainly did that, ultimately winning 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) to stretch his winning streak to 14 matches, and thanking the fans for their support.

“Having them supporting me, you know, in the tough moment helped me a lot to work on all the problems and try to be better.

“As I said a lot of times, I try to make them happy, to make them enjoy, you know, with great rallies, great shots.

“And in the moments that I’m not playing well, you know, having their support it was really, really necessary for me. And as I said on court, I’m going to say, without their support, probably I could have lost.

“So a big part of this win is thanks to them.”