Alcaraz Prioritizes Self-Belief For Success At Roland-Garros Quarter-Finals

Carlos Alcaraz emphasised the importance of self-belief over match sharpness after securing his place in the French Open quarter-finals. The 21-year-old Spaniard advanced to the last eight at Roland-Garros for the third consecutive year, becoming the youngest player to achieve this since Novak Djokovic (2006-2008). Alcaraz's dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime highlighted his impressive form.

Despite being one of the favourites in Paris, Alcaraz's preparations were disrupted by a right forearm injury. This injury forced him to withdraw from both the Barcelona Open and Italian Open. His fitness issues were evident when Andrey Rublev defeated him in the Madrid Open quarter-finals. However, Alcaraz, who continues to wear a supportive grip on his right arm, has shown resilience and improvement throughout the tournament.

After his victory over Auger-Aliassime, Alcaraz stated, "The most important thing is to believe in myself. It doesn't matter that I don't have too many matches on my back and that I didn't come with a lot of rhythm. After every practice and every match, I was getting better and better." He added that playing on Phillipe Chatrier made it easier for him to perform well.

Alcaraz felt strong during rallies and believed that putting pressure on Auger-Aliassime's serve would create opportunities. "I felt strong in the rallies, and I was going to have my chances to break his serve," he said. "I'm really happy with my performance today. I played a really high level of tennis."

Next up for Alcaraz is a quarter-final clash with 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas. This will be their second consecutive meeting at Roland-Garros, with Alcaraz aiming for his sixth victory against Tsitsipas. "I love this challenge and these kinds of matches," Alcaraz commented. "I have seen a lot of Stefanos' matches lately. He has a lot of confidence right now and is playing great tennis."

Alcaraz remains confident about his chances against Tsitsipas, stating, "I think I have the key against him, so I will try to make him in trouble. I will try to show my best and, hopefully, the crowd will enjoy as much as me."

The upcoming match promises to be an exciting encounter as both players are in excellent form. Tennis fans are eagerly anticipating this showdown at Roland-Garros.