Van de Zandschulp talks about the key that helped him defeat Alcaraz at the US Open

Mónica Barberán Munera | 30 Aug 2024 | 07.43

Carlos Alcaraz and Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open 2024. Photo: getty

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At 28 years old, Botic van de Zandschulp was contemplating retirement just a few months ago. The Dutchman was struggling, and the lack of victories forced him to compete in the Challenger tournaments to gain playing time and momentum. Just a short while later, he has just defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the US Open. Botic emerged victorious against an unrecognizable Carlitos, whose mindset played a cruel trick on him. Meanwhile, the Dutch player showed great solidity in his first win in three matches against the player from Murcia. Is he still thinking about retiring? What did he do differently this time to defeat the world number 3?

- What he thought while facing the player from Murcia

“I think I played incredibly steadily during the match. For instance, when I won the first set, you start to think that he will come up with something, he's one of the best players in the world and will come back with a different level. In fact, I broke his serve very early in the second set, he broke back, and we were tied at 5. I served quite well. Then in the third set, you also think that he will come up with something special. I broke him again very quickly, and he broke back. I believe that even until 5-4 in the third set, I still had in mind that Carlos would do something special. So, I was thinking about that throughout the match”.

- Facing Carlitos

“I think he's playing incredibly aggressively, trying to take a step forward. Today, I tried to beat him by taking the lead, getting very close to the net, and he couldn't handle it. I did a great job up there, but he's someone who can do everything. He has a strong forehand or can drop shot you, go for the winner, hit from inside out, from outside in. He can do everything with a tennis ball, and that's why he's so astonishingly challenging to face”.

- Considered retiring after Roland Garros

“After Roland Garros, I took a two-week break. I didn't play for a couple of weeks and came back to play at Wimbledon. From then on, I competed in a few more tournaments in Europe. The tour is tough, you can play well, but you can only play two matches a week if you play well, for example. If you're not seeded, you might face Sinner in the first round, challenging opponents. So, you can play well, but in the end, you end up losing many matches. I needed more confidence by winning games, playing more, and that's what I did. After Wimbledon, I played a couple of Challengers in Europe. I tried to play more consecutive matches, and I believe it gave me a great boost of confidence. Here we are now”.

- Still considering retirement?

“At that moment, I mentioned that I was thinking about it, of course, given how things were unfolding. I was injured last year and have been having issues since then. I had to keep playing with pain, so the possibility of perhaps quitting was on the table. I will give myself until the end of the year to see how things progress. But yes, there was a serious reflection on that”.

- What did he do differently against Carlos today compared to their previous encounters?

“I think today I played a bit differently. Usually, when he hits the ball, you feel a strong comeback. So, you get a bit stressed, wanting to hit harder, but it's difficult to control. That's how I felt when we played in Basel and the Australian Open. Today, I felt more composed in my strikes. So, I believe that has been the significant difference for me”.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Van de Zandschulp habla de la clave que le ayudó a derrotar a Alcaraz en el US Open