MADRID, 20 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has been “happy” despite his defeat in the semifinals of Indian Wells against Rafa Nadal (6-4, 4-6, 6-3), since in his first duel with the Balearic this ” destroyed” and this Saturday he managed to force “a third set”.
“I played against Rafa and I think it was a tight match. I’m leaving the tournament happy. I left the court happy with the level and the performance. The first time he destroyed me. Now, we’ve played a third set… I’m very happy,” he declared at a press conference.
The 18-year-old from Murcia managed to demand the 22-time Grand Slam champion in a tough battle. “Now I know that this is my level. I know how I should play against these types of opponents. That’s the most important thing, to be aware of your level and what you have to do,” he said. “It was my second game against Rafa. I felt that I have the level, that I am part of that type of player. I think I am going to face Rafa or the best players many times this year,” he ventured.
In addition, he acknowledged that he had to overcome nerves in the first round. “During the first set I was competing against Rafa and against myself. I always had in my head that I was playing against Rafa. In the second and third sets I thought: ‘Okay, I’m playing against Rafa, but I’m going to try to show my level. to give 100% to try to beat him or come close to defeating him,'” he said.
“In the second set there was a lot of wind. We survived. I think it stopped being a tennis match in the second set,” he explained. “Last year there were a lot of firsts for me. I got my first Grand Slam win, at Masters 1,000… There were a lot of firsts. Now I’ve played more matches against top 10 players, big matches in big stadiums. I think I’m more mature. I have better control of myself, of my emotions,” he concluded.