Friday, June 9, 2023, 8:16 p.m.
Carlos Alcaraz, who played heavily weighed down the last two sets against Novak Djokovic, confirmed at a press conference that he suffered cramps due to nerves and the tension of playing against a tennis player of the Serbian caliber in the Roland Garros semifinals.
«I cramped from the nerves and the tension of playing with a legend. He pushes you to the limit during the match. If someone plays against Djokovic and says that he doesn’t notice tension, he is lying to you. I have to learn the lesson for next time. The tension has taken its toll on me after two very hard sets”, explained the Murcian, whose level was in decline from the beginning of the third set, when the cramps appeared in his right leg.
Before, Alcaraz had already noticed cramps in his arms, due in part to the hardness of the match, whose first two sets lasted two hours in total, and to the exposure at the Philippe Chatrier, being his first Roland Garros semifinal and his first meeting at a Grand Slam against Djokovic.
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«The demand of the party has taken its toll on me. Now it’s time to train more and what has happened stays in my head for the next tournaments, to learn from it. Winning a Grand Slam is never easy, “added the Murcian, who did not blame Djokovic for celebrating the points won, despite his physical situation. «I do not blame him for anything. I, in his place, would have done the same, “added the Spaniard.
Despite playing practically two sets injured, Alcaraz admitted that he never thought of retiring from the match. “I have told my bench that I was screwed, but I did not want to retire.”
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