Carlos Alcaraz has made a candid admission about his physical fitness ahead of his singles semifinal clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Spaniard now has the opportunity to clinch his maiden Olympic medal in singles after his and Rafael Nadal’s electrifying doubles campaign ended in disappointment.
Carlos Alcaraz took on the USA’s Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals of the prestigious event, with the duo delivering a thrilling encounter. After losing the first set, Paul had the chance to force a decider, but the World No. 3 battled back from a break down and fended off a set point to claim a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6(7) victory in just over two hours.
The 21-year-old played Paul in the second match of the day on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros, despite the 9:00 pm finish to his and Rafael Nadal’s 6-2, 6-4 loss to the American duo of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek the night before. Alcaraz had raised concerns about his early time slot prior to his quarterfinal clash against Paul.
Speaking to Eurosport after his win, Carlos Alcaraz emphasized that he managed to triumph through “pure fight” and “determination,” admitting that he isn’t at his best physically. The World No. 3 also revealed that he woke up tired after the emotionally “intense” end to his doubles campaign with Nadal.
“Today was a fight, pure fight, pure determination. Physically we are not at our best, we are not going to fool ourselves. Today I woke up quite tired because of yesterday, which was quite intense,” Carlos Alcaraz said (via Punto de Break).
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old asserted that he managed to put his exhaustion out of his mind by focusing on the loftier goal at hand, drawing motivation from his strong desire to achieve success for his country.
“We are in the Olympics, playing for Spain, which for me is one of the most beautiful things in the world and that is what drives you up and what makes me not think about the tiredness, but give everything I have. I went out on the court trying to play with a lot of intensity,” Alcaraz said.
“I knew that Paul was a very electric player, he has great shots and I had to be very attentive, fight for every ball. In the second set I began to notice that fatigue, but I remember that I’m not playing for myself alone, but for all the Spaniards and that’s what motivates me to fight until the last ball,” he added.