Even before the first half of the 2023 season, Carlos Alcaraz already had six ATP titles and was soaring high and the greatest win struck for him when he defeated Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon final to lift his second career Grand Slam title. After that win, everything turned against the Spanish star, as he recently lost against Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai, Roman Safiullin in Paris and Alexander Zverev in Turin.
However, yesterday night, Carlos Alcaraz battled hard to earn his first win in two months. Now, he’s hoping to secure a place in the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz confident of victory against Daniil Medvedev
It seems Carlos Alcaraz has not forgotten the bitter defeat he swallowed at the hands of Daniil Medvedev a few months ago in the US Open semi-finals. In fact, the Spanish star admitted he suffered from a “mental block” at the end of the first-set tiebreak that would continue through almost all of the second set and as a result, the 20-year-old star lost in four sets.
Meanwhile, after last night’s 7-5, 6-2 win over Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz will play against Daniil Medvedev on Friday evening for the first time since the US Open, and he will do so in what promises to be a memorable encounter. The world No. 2 game against Medvedev is a must win to have a chance of reaching the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
“We’re going to try and use the US Open match as an example,” explained Alcaraz, whose Head2Head with Medvedev is tied at 2-2. “I was mentally in the wrong place for a long time. That cannot happen against him. I will have to approach it differently. I know how he will play, so we’ll look at my strategy before the match.
“Medvedev is one of the best players in the world,” declared the 20-year-old Spaniard. “You have to play very well tactically, be patient and be aggressive at the same time. It’s very difficult to beat him. You have to wait for the opportunity, but run and be calm, and get five or six shots in per point until the chance comes, while being aware that often it won’t. I am very happy with this win. I can’t let my guard down, I will need my best level to beat Daniil. I expect the best from myself.”
Carlos Alcaraz beats Andrey Rublev
Carlos Alcaraz produced a spectacular display to keep hopes alive for a place in the semi-final of the Nitto ATP Finals when he defeated Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-2 to earn his first win at the year-end event. The 20-year-old battled back from an opening Red Group defeat against Alexander Zverev with an aggressive 74-minute display against Rublev. The Spaniard’s win took him to an improved 10-5 record against Top 10 opponents and he is now 64-11 on the season.
“It was a totally different match and level from me. This is the level I have to play if I want to give myself a chance in this amazing tournament,” Alcaraz said. “Yesterday was a good day for me in practice to find the level I needed to show today and I think I did pretty well. I am very happy with my level.”
Will the Spanish prodigy be able to defeat Daniil Medvedev? Drop your predictions in the comments section.
