Humbert reveals the key that allowed him to defeat Alcaraz: "I started to.."

Ugo Humbert is, probably, one of the happiest people on earth right now. The Frenchman harnessed a perfect communion with the local crowd to overcome Carlos Alcaraz for the first time, advancing to the quarterfinals of the ATP Rolex Paris Masters 2024 and emerging as the great French hope in the tournament. How to explain such a performance when heart rates continue racing? Ugo tried to do so in an emotional press conference where he revealed that conversations with himself were the key to his comeback.

- Feelings after a historic victory

"This is the most beautiful victory of my entire career and the best moment I have experienced on a tennis court. Incredible. I train to live for these kinds of moments. That's what I kept repeating to myself constantly in the third set, I didn't want what happened to me last year to be repeated, and that made me much stronger."

- Different match approach than in previous occasions

Jeremy (Chardy, his coach) told me not to do what I did at the Davis Cup, not to get too excited, not to play excessively. I started quite aggressively, but in the return, I began to miss many points from the second set onwards, and he started to play better. I guess I fought too hard in the first set, and from that moment on, I fought until the end of the third set. Throughout the decisive set, I was constantly having a dialogue with myself, telling myself that I was there, that I wasn't leaving the match until the end... and it worked. I felt better, that's how I felt, and it turned out to be the right solution to win."

- Confidence from previous matches against Alcaraz

"I knew that on this type of surface, like grass, with the style of play I have, I can pose a problem for the best players in the world. It was incredible at the Davis Cup, I never saw clarity at any moment, I was forcing everything all the time. Today was different. The crowd was incredible, cheering me on all the time. I am happy to have given them this victory; it was a very important moment for me, and being able to share it with them was great. I know that on this surface, I can play well. I hit very hard and very fast from both sides. I think Alcaraz is not the only one who can feel rushed when facing me. It was a great match; I love playing against the best. That's why I train, that's why Paris-Bercy is one of my favorite tournaments."

- Approaching the rest of the tournament after this victory

"This is what I love about tennis: I don't want to make any predictions, I can't tell you what will happen. I just try to enjoy this moment to the fullest. I came to Bercy to experience these kinds of emotions and these kinds of matches. When I feel like this, everything is possible. I don't know how far I will go, but it's a question I don't want to answer. The match tomorrow? I don't know how I will feel. I can't tell you. I will prepare as always, I will recover, I will do things right, stay focused, and enjoy. Jordan (Thompson) plays very well, he is a great player who has already beaten me this year, so that has to be respected. I will try to go to bed as soon as possible because I don't even know what time it is and prepare for tomorrow."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Humbert desvela la clave por la que pudo derrotar a Alcaraz