"I'm a different player" - Carlos Alcaraz on how French Open 2023 SF loss against Novak Djokovic fueled his Wimbledon title win
Carlos Alcaraz comfortably got the better of J.J. Wolf in their 2024 French Open first-round clash. In his post-match interview, the Spaniard credited his semifinal loss from last year to nurture him into the player he is today.
Alcaraz had been nursing a right forearm injury in the past few weeks, and he did not participate in the Italian Open. The Spaniard aggravated his already existing injury during his Madrid Open quarterfinal run.
Before opening his French Open campaign, Alcaraz claimed he was still unsure of his injury. He did not feel pain during practices, but was looking to remain cautious during matches.
However, the 21-year-old came out all guns blazing. He did not give Wolf a chance to breathe as he won the match 6-1, 6-2, 6-1, losing just four games. Alcaraz extended his Grand Slam first-round unbeaten run to 13-0 with the win.
During his post-match interview with the Tennis Channel, Alcaraz explained that his 2023 French Open semifinal loss against Djokovic helped him grow into a better player and fueled his Wimbledon title win.
"I learned a lot from the semifinal here against Djokovic. I think thanks to that match, I could win Wimbledon, and everything that I’ve done is thanks to the previous situations from the previous matches that I played, Alcaraz said.
"I think, coming to this tournament, one year later than the semifinal, I want to say that I’m a different player, more mature. I grew up a lot since that day, so I want to feel good every match, to feel good every time that I step on the court and, let’s see how it’s going to be," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz provides an injury update after his French Open 1R win - "I can say that I am fully recovered"
Carlos Alcaraz breezed past J.J Wolf in the 2024 French Open first-round clash on Sunday (May 26). There were concerns about how the Spaniard would do coming fresh off an injury that has been tormenting him throughout this season. However, the third seed's injury update was an extremely positive one.
“Obviously, I still feel weird, let’s say, or I’m afraid to hit all the forehands 100%. It’s still in my mind, but I didn’t feel anything after the game, which is good for me. So I can say that I am fully recovered,” Alcaraz said during his post-match interview.
Alcaraz has set up a second-round clash against Jesper De Jong. The Dutchman is coming off a five-set victory over Jack Draper.