Alcaraz: "Today I played my best match so far in the tournament"

As if it were normal, as if there was no pressure after watching the first set slip away, Carlos Alcaraz once again demonstrated on the grass of Wimbledon that currently there is no player in better form than him. The player from Murcia, with several active winning streaks, ended Andrey Rublev's hopes to reach the quarterfinals at the London tournament for the third consecutive season. The momentum is total, the drive is constant, and the magic seems never-ending. Will Cameron Norrie be able to block his way next Tuesday? These were the Spanish player's words at the press conference.

Happy with his victory

"I remember a bit when I played in the quarterfinals, I remember the level of that match. If I remember correctly, I played against Tommy Paul on Court 1, it was a pretty good match, high-quality tennis. This year has been a bit different, different tennis at Wimbledon with a different feel. I see everything a bit slower, the balls slower, a different sensation. Today I played my best match so far in the tournament, and I feel great. Obviously, at Roland Garros, it was totally different because I was playing more matches on clay before the tournament, so right now I'm trying to regain that feeling. I am very proud and satisfied with my performance today, much better than in previous matches, so I hope to continue feeling even more comfortable."

Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals

"Facing Cameron is always very difficult; we have had tough battles in the past. Facing him is almost like a nightmare, to be honest, it's very tough from the baseline. I'm not surprised that he's in the quarterfinals, I've seen him playing great tennis. When he lost at Queen's, he stayed for five days training morning, afternoon, and night. I saw it, so I'm not surprised to see him competing at this level. Here he is playing at home, so the crowd will be on his side, it will be different. I have to be mentally strong, stay focused all the time if I want to beat him."

Facing a left-hander

"I'm not the type of player who needs a left-handed player to train or practice. Obviously, it's useful if you're going to play against a left-hander, so tomorrow I will try if there is one available. For me, playing against a left-hander is always difficult, the serve with spin on the ad side is the most difficult for me, although it's probably difficult for everyone. We'll see how Cameron plays that day and how I play; I'll try not to think too much that he's left-handed or think about his left side, or think when he plays on the ad side. I'll just try to tactically study how I can do it."

Tennis, a solitary warrior

"Tennis is a mental sport; the way you talk to yourself is very important throughout the match, so I try to be positive all the time. Sometimes it's hard, there are many narratives and thoughts that come to your mind most of the time, especially in long matches. In those moments, you try to relax for a few seconds, fill your head with positive thoughts, repeating to yourself over and over that you can do it, remembering useful things that can help you play better."

Learning to slide on grass

"This year I started sliding better than last year, although I can't tell you exactly. Last year, I didn't slide well until the match against Tiafoe, but this year I started doing it well at Queen's. For me, it's very important to slide well on grass because that gives me a lot of confidence in movement. I try to show myself with a lot of freedom when I have to move, especially to defend. At Queen's, I was a bit afraid before the second round, in the early hours on grass, but then when I started sliding, all those thoughts went away, and I felt more comfortable."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz “Hoy he jugado mi mejor partido hasta ahora en el torneo”