World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz shared his thoughts and emotions after overcoming Ben Shelton in a hard-fought fourth-round match at Roland Garros, with a final score of 7/6(8), 6/3, 4/6, 6/4.
“Ben and I share a lot of respect for each other,” Alcaraz stated. “Our matches always feature tennis played at the highest level. Today, we both delivered an excellent performance, and I believe we provided the spectators with a true spectacle.”
He continued, “Ben is an incredibly powerful player, capable of hitting any shot. His 230 km/h serve is truly unbelievable! We both played very versatile games, utilizing drop shots, approaching the net, and hitting powerful groundstrokes. He fought hard until the very end, never giving up for a minute.”
“Playing against Ben is always a pleasure; he brings tremendous energy to the court, which the crowd appreciates. I enjoy watching his game myself. I want to thank him for the moments we shared on the court today,” Alcaraz added.
Speaking about the mental challenges during the match, Alcaraz admitted, “Honestly, today I wasn`t just battling my opponent, but also myself. At certain points, I was feeling angry, unhappy with my performance, and my thoughts weren`t the most positive. However, I`m very pleased that I didn`t let those negative thoughts take control. When things got difficult, I simply focused on moving forward and trying to stay calm.”
Looking ahead to his next match against Tommy Paul, Alcaraz noted, “Every match against Tommy turns out to be quite challenging. Regardless of whether it`s a Grand Slam, a Masters tournament, or another event – it`s never easy when I face him. I hold a 4-2 lead in our head-to-head record, but that doesn`t signify much; he constantly pushes me to give my absolute best.”
“He`s reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam again, so he`s clearly in good form,” Alcaraz observed. “I`m confident that Tommy is full of self-belief. For my part, I will simply aim to continue doing my work and striving for improvement. I want to learn from the mistakes I made today so that I don`t repeat them in the match against Tommy. I`m sure the spectators will find the match enjoyable.”
