“Almost threw the racket to floor” – Carlos Alcaraz admits to ‘losing his mind’ during US Open SF loss to Daniil Medvedev
After losing the US Open semifinal to Daniil Medvedev on Friday, September 8, Carlos Alcaraz admitted to losing control of his emotions on the court.
Alcaraz entered the match as the hot favorite, but Medvedev rose to the occasion. The Russian hit nine aces against Alcaraz's none, and broke his opponent multiple times to win the match 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
The 20-year-old has, therefore, missed the opportunity to play a third final this year with his rival Novak Djokovic. The Serb will also bypass Alcaraz for the top spot of the ATP rankings next week as a result of the Spaniard's loss.
Alcaraz and Medvedev were inseparable until halfway through the first set tie-break, but a slew of errors from the youngster after 3-3 allowed the Russian to draw first blood. Alcaraz talked about that moment in his press conference after the loss.
"I think I started the match pretty well. It was a close first set. In the tiebreak, you know, after 3-All in the tiebreak, I, let's say, I lose my mind. I make three or four points without control. I totally lose my mind on that set. It was really tough for me to handle it," he said.
To make matters worse for Alcaraz, Medvedev secured the second set in what seemed like a blink of an eye.
"In the second set I didn't come back. It was almost in the moon (smiling). For me it was tough. Obviously Daniil, he was playing great. You know, it was tough for me to came back, you know, to the match and playing a great game again," the defending US Open champ said.
Carlos Alcaraz was close to flying off the handle after some of his mistakes.
"I almost threw the racket to floor, but I just control myself just be in the moment, but it was tough for me to stay calm," he said.
Daniil Medvedev levels head-to-head record with Carlos Alcaraz courtesy US Open SF win
With his win over Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open on Friday, Daniil Medvedev has leveled their head-to-head count to 2-2.
Medvedev faced Alcaraz for the first time two years ago at the Wimbledon Championships, where he was able to win 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. The Spaniard, however, moved one step ahead of Medvedev by winning the next two encounters.
The duo met in the decider of the Indian Wells Masters in March this year and in the semifinal at Wimbledon in July, with Carlos Alcaraz clinching straight-set victories each time.
Medvedev will take on 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the US Open final on Sunday. He would be looking to spoil Djokovic's party just like he did two years ago, when he defeated the Serb in straight sets.