The Murcian tennis player certified his pass to the round of 16 after beating Shapovalov in three sets (6-1, 6-2 and 6-2)
Alcaraz defeated his rival without too many complications but admitted that he still has many tasks to improve at this Roland Garros
Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that he has things to improve, like the drop he suffered in the second set of the match against the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, something that already happened to him against the Japanese Taro Daniel when it cost him a set.
“I have to improve, everything can always be done better,” he said when asked about that bump in his game. “It is one of the things that I have to do better in the next rounds, because in a Grand Slam it takes its toll on you”he assured. Alcaraz acknowledged that this circumstance was about to cost him another set, something that would have lengthened his time on court in a night shift.
“In a Grand Slam, the less time you spend on the court, the better. You save strength and energy and more in a night shift, which is better to finish as soon as possible so as not to go to bed too late. I’m glad I won in three sets when I’ve had it screwed up,” he said.
The Spaniard referred to his rival in the round of 16, the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, a year older but whom he considered “a friend”. “We have shared many tournaments as children, we know each other well off the track, although we don’t have much time to see each other because in tournaments we go our own way,” he said.
“It will be a challenge for me, he plays very well, he is beating big rivals. Has a lot of talent”he claimed.
He recalled that he lost to him in the only duel between the two, which took place last year in the final in Hamburg, and assured that he is waiting “impatiently” to face him again. “It’s going to be a game with a lot of blows, it will be exciting.”
Alcaraz assured that Musetti is part of the generation that brought him together, the also Italian Jannik Sinner or the Danish Holger Rune, is called to dominate tennis in the coming years and generate a rivalry that, like that of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, will force them to raise the level.