Many would select Alcaraz as a favorite in their match, largely because of his clay-court talents, but he wouldn’t agree with that. Sinner has been the best player this year by far, and even though the Spaniard beat him in Indian Wells, it’s still not enough for him to consider himself a favorite.
He does appreciate the challenge of problem-solving in real-time, and he’ll have to do that a lot against the Italian, at least if he wants to win.
“I really like having to find solutions on the go to shift the course of the matches, like I did in Indian Wells. I guess I have been learning from him every time we have confronted each other.”
“I know that I am confronting the major challenge of today in the world of tennis, so I don’t feel like a favorite and I will undoubtedly be a little more apprehensive than usual. Since the draw was revealed, everyone wanted to see this semifinal and so did I.”
Wednesday, 05 June 2024
It’s a spectacular matchup with two greatest players in the world right now facing head-to-head on clay, a surface, which assures a lot of excellent rallies and shot-making, which means it should be a terrific struggle.
Alcaraz expects it himself, and he’s ready for it, because he understands that playing the fellow prodigy only makes him a stronger player, the same way the Big Three pushed each other.
“I genuinely want to confront him, it’s going to be a fantastic battle and I would love to have that face-to-face triumph. He has gained a lot of consistency this year, he constantly exhibits a very high level on the court.”
“He doesn’t do anything wrong, he has a tremendous ball strike, he continuously pushes you to the limit and it is very difficult to take the initiative away from him. I love the challenge of measuring myself against him because it helps me wake up every day wanting to be a better player.”
