"I don't think there's a limit to what I can achieve" - Carlos Alcaraz after beating Novak Djokovic in the Madrid SF
Carlos Alcaraz pulled off a remarkable upset at the 2022 Madrid Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The Spaniard went down in the first set in a tie-breaker but held his nerve to grind out a 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) win.
The World No. 9 had defeated five-time winner Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals only the previous day. As a result, he became the first ever player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in the same clay tournament.
THERE. IS. NO. ESCAPE. FROM. ALCARAZ.
@alcarazcarlos03 defeats Nadal & Djokovic BACK-TO-BACK to make a first #MMOPEN final 🤯 https://t.co/Ic7JRZ4LGB
Speaking to reporters after the triumph, the teenager laid testament to his self-assurance, saying that he did not think there was a limit to what he was capable of achieving. Alcaraz also emphasized that he was trying not to think about the future too much, focussing instead on giving his best in every match.
"I don't think there's a limit to what I can achieve. I'm just trying to get results and put a good game in every tournament and still be in there with the best in the world," Alcaraz said. "Tomorrow, I will go for the final as I did in Miami and I am really, really happy to play my second Masters 1000 final."
The youngest man to reach the final in Madrid!
@alcarazcarlos03 | #MMOpen https://t.co/L6JPW3DTWW
Carlos Alcaraz further added that it was a very close match, praising the World No. 1 for making it as hard as possible to pull one over him. The Spaniard admitted that Djokovic could have turned the result on its head if he had capitalized on the break points he received and was glad to have survived an "unbelievable" encounter.
"Honestly, I don't know what the difference was between winning and losing today. It was different, so close. [Novak Djokovic] had the chance to break my serve in the second set at the end and the third set as well," Alcaraz said. "It was so close in the tiebreaker. Both of us played an unbelievable match."
"This gives me a lot of confidence to play the final tomorrow" - Carlos Alcaraz
Following his victory over Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz will square off against Alexander Zverev in the final of the 2022 Madrid Masters. The teenager opined that he would be going into it with a lot more confidence thanks to his win over the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
@alcarazcarlos03 
🇪🇸 @alcarazcarlos03
The first one to ever defeat Nadal and Djokovic back to back on clay 🔥
#MMOPEN https://t.co/17wUV58DrV
Now that he knows that he is capable of beating the very best players in the world, the World No. 9 declared that he is much more convinced about having an even better time during the rest of the season.
"This gives me a lot of confidence to play the final tomorrow. I know I am playing a really good game. I am hoping to play well for the rest of the season," Carlos Alcaraz said. "I am able to play the best players in the world and beat them as well."