Carlos Alcaraz - "I'm a complete player"
Carlos Alcaraz has expressed confidence in his abilities after booking his spot in the 2023 French Open fourth round by saying that he is a "complete player".
On Friday, June 2, Alcaraz registered a dominant victory over Denis Shapovalov in the pair's first-ever tour-level meeting. The young Spaniard needed a little more than two hours to register a straight-sets victory.
Shapovalov came into the match knowing the magnitude of the task that awaited him. Calling himself a "huge fan" of Alcaraz ahead of their clash, he praised the youngster for his humility and politeness.
"I'm a huge fan of Carlos. He wears the shirt on his sleeve well and is a great guy. He is super humble for achieving what he has at such a young age. You can see how much he enjoys being on the court and the situations coming to him," he said.
"I look up to him, not only for his results on the court. He always says hi in the locker room, and his words are always polite. He is a great player on any surface, but especially on clay," he added.
At a press conference after his third-round win, Alcaraz was told about Shapovalov's praise for him and was also asked to evaluate himself as a player.
In response, Alcaraz stated that he considered himself a tough player to face as his fighting spirit pushes his opponents to the limits every time.
"I would say I'm a complete player. You know, I would say the stronger thing that I have on court is that I push to the limit, I push the opponent to the limit every time. He has to do great things, great stuff to work on my -- to overcome me," he said.
"I would say that, that I'm over there every point playing great points. And I don't lose the focus. I would say that's my strong thing on court," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz will next face Lorenzo Musetti in the quest for his maiden French Open title
Carlos Alcaraz dispatched Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in two hours and 12 minutes to progress to the fourth round of the French Open, where he will face Lorenzo Mussetti.
With the defeat of Shapovalov, Alcaraz has improved his win-loss record for the season to 33-3, and 23-2 on clay. He also holds a 22-2 record against opponents outside the top 20 at the Grand Slams.
The Spaniard was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros last year, a result he can match if he defeats Mussetti. However, the Italian could be a tricky opponent. The two have faced each other once before on the tour, in the 2022 Hamburg final, where Mussetti dug in to win 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4.
If Alcaraz comes through the challenge unscathed, he is on course to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals and then Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.