Alcaraz dreams big: what did he say after booking a spot in the Olympic final?
The world No. 3 has been unstoppable so far in the Olympic Games and he’s now only one game away from winning the gold medal.
Carlos Alcaraz isn’t tired of breaking records and keeps impressing tennis and sports fans worldwide. The Spaniard dismantled Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Olympic Games tennis tournament in straight sets, losing only two games.
The four-time Grand Slam event champion is having a dream campaign. Although there were many doubts surrounding his game at the start of the year, ‘Carlitos’ has considerably improved since he featured in the French Open.
The current Roland Garros and Wimbledon titleholder is looking to clinch gold at the Games after being unstoppable over the last weeks of competition.
The 21-year-old talent is now waiting for an opponent in the final round, as Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti will collide in the other semifinal.
Alcaraz’s intentions for the Olympic final: what did he say?
Alcaraz is the fourth Spanish male player to reach the singles final since 1988. Jordi Arrese (1992) was the first to accomplish that feat, followed by Sergi Bruguera (1996) and Rafa Nadal (2008).
If the Murcia native defeats Djokovic or Musetti in the final, he will become the second Spaniard to win the gold medal after Nadal did it in the Pekin 2008 Olympic Games.
After defeating Aliassime, Alcaraz couldn’t hide his happiness and revealed his plans for Sunday’s final.
“It’s going to be a really special moment for me, in my life, in my career, so I’m going to try and enjoy this moment because it’s going to be really difficult”, he said.
“It’s going to be difficult, but it’s going to be special... I will try to be focused on myself and try not to hear all this, all the fans, all the people that say ‘I’m going to win’. I just want to give 100 percent my best tennis and hopefully, I reach my goal to get the gold”, he added.
“(...) I have to be focused on myself, on my game. I’m really happy with my performance. Probably one of my best in this tournament so far, so I’m really happy with the feeling and hopefully keep going and be better in the finals”, Alcaraz stated.
Alcaraz overturned his head-to-head deficit to Aliassime, as the Canadian was 3-0 ahead. With four consecutive victories, Carlitos has proven he’s a more complete player and will be looking to play at the same level in the final.