"My phone was going crazy" - Novak Djokovic-conqueror Alejandro Tabilo on beating Serb at Italian Open and managing expectations afterwards
Alejandro Tabilo has followed up on his win over Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Italian Open with two more spectacular wins, reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time. After beating the Serb 6-2, 6-3 in a shock win, the Chilean beat Karen Khachanov in the fourth round to reach the quarterfinals.
There, Tabilo beat Zhang Zhizhen in straight sets on Wednesday to book his spot in the final-four in Rome. At his press conference, the 29th seed touched upon his win over Djokovic and the emotions he felt after such a huge victory.
Reiterating that he never expected to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Tabilo revealed that his phone went "crazy" to the point that he had to turn it off.
At the same time, Alejandro Tabilo emphasized that the victory also placed the weight of expectations on him, meaning that he had to perform well in his next matches to show that the win over Djokovic was not a fluke.
In light of all that, the Chilean was happy with the way he has handled the situation by just staying calm and playing his natural game.
"I was extremely happy. I wasn't even expecting it. I just went out there trying to do my best tennis. I was really just, like, soaking it all in when I went on center court. After that, it's been crazy. My phone was going crazy. I just turned it off, tried to be with my friends," Tabilo said.
"It was tough 'cause, I mean, always after that there's expectations. I had to really be ready for the next match 'cause you want to keep going, doing better. Yeah, I feel like I managed it pretty well. It hasn't been easy, but just trying to take it as calm as possible and just keep playing my game," he added.
"It's been crazy two weeks" - Alejandro Tabilo on his Italian Open 2024 run so far
Alejandro Tabilo also spoke on his run at the 2024 Italian Open so far during the press conference, admitting that it has been a "crazy" two weeks for him.
The possibility of two more matches in Rome notwithstanding, the Chilean was "honored" about his campaign and looked forward to show up on Friday in his best capacity.
"Yeah, I mean, just getting here, first time playing Rome, never thought I'd be here right now. It's just a crazy feeling. It's been crazy two weeks.There's still another match, so I got to regroup, keep thinking about my tennis, rest well, come out on Friday with everything I got," Tabilo said.
"Yeah, it's been a crazy, crazy ride. Very honored to be able to play here in the semis on Friday," he added.
In the semifinals, Alejandro Tabilo will take on either Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz.