US OPEN

August 30, 2024

Botic Van De Zandschulp

Press Conference

B. VAN DE ZANDSCHULP/C. Alcaraz

6-1, 7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Can you just talk to us about your level of play tonight and when you thought that you were going to be able to continue that level of play for as long as it took to win the match?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, I think I played, like, emotional tonight, stable. Also, during my play I think I played unbelievably stable.

Yeah, you're going to think every time -- when I won the first set, for example, you're going to think, like, he's coming up with -- yeah, he's one of the best players in the world, and he's coming up with a different level.

I actually broke him already quite soon in the second set. Got broken back. Then it went down to 5-All. Yeah, I served it out pretty good.

Then in the third, even in the third, you're thinking, like, he's going to come up with something special. Yeah, I broke him again pretty quick. Got broken again back.

Yeah, I think until 5-4 in the third I still had something in the back of my mind that he's going to come up with something special. So, yeah, I actually was thinking that the whole match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I know maybe it wasn't him at his best. We don't know. What's it actually like facing Carlos? How difficult is it? What makes it so difficult? What makes him so special?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, I think he's playing unbelievably aggressive. He's trying to come forward a lot. Yeah, today I tried to beat him to the punch a little bit there. I tried to come in a lot to the net so he wasn't able to.

Yeah, I think I did a good job there. But, yeah, he's someone who can do everything. When he gets a shot on the forehand, he can play the drop shot. He can, yeah, go for the winner, go inside-out, go inside-in. Yeah, I think he's doing -- he can do everything with the tennis ball. That's why facing him is unbelievably tough.

Q. Back at Roland Garros after you lost there, there were some words that got said from you that you were thinking of stopping maybe. I'm curious, how remember you feeling back then, and what has it taken, like, the journey from then to now to get to a point where you could beat Alcaraz at this stage?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, that's correct. I was at Roland Garros. After Roland Garros I took a couple of weeks. I didn't play for a couple of weeks and played in Wimbledon again.

From that point on I played a little bit more tournaments in Europe. Yeah, you know, the tour is tough. You can play well, but you can only play, like, two matches a week if you play well, for example.

If you're not seeded in a tournament, yeah, you can face, for example, Sinner first round, Sinner first round. Yeah, you can play tough opponents.

Yeah, you can play well, but then still in the end you will lose a lot of matches. So, yeah, I needed a little bit more confidence in winning matches, playing more matches. That's something I did.

After Wimbledon I played a couple of challengers in Holland. Not in Holland, but in Europe I mean. Yeah, tried to play more matches in a row, and I think that gave my confidence a good boost. Yeah, here we are now.

Q. Was it tough, like, initially kind of getting your head around going back to challengers after breaking through?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, of course. But I think I already had the tough part behind me dropping from, yeah, 25 to dropping to 70 I think, not being seeded.

Yeah, I was just happy to play more matches, to win more matches. Actually, yeah, of course, it's different than the ATP to play some challengers, but if I look back on the it, it wasn't really hard for me.

Q. What considerations were you giving to retirement? How seriously were you considering it, and how do you look back on that period right now?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, at the time I said it, I was thinking about it, of course. Yeah, it was just more the way things were going.

I got injured last year. Still had some troubles with the injury from last year. That was for me like if I have to keep playing, yeah, with the pain I had, yeah, then there was a chance maybe I would stop playing.

Of course, I will give myself to the end of the year and see how everything was, yeah, progressing. Yeah, of course, there was a serious thought.

Q. How do you look back on that now given what occurred tonight, and what emotions are you experiencing right now?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Actually right now not so many (laughing). Yeah, maybe I'm still processing it. Maybe in a couple of hours or tomorrow I feel a little bit more emotional with what happened tonight.

Yeah, back when I said it, maybe I'm thinking about retiring, at that point I was just being honest.

Q. You've had previous matchups with Carlos. It sounds like you're very familiar with his game. I was wondering what you felt was different from him today, if anything, and the positive take-aways you have beating him to the punch, getting to the net earlier? Are those things you want to apply in your matches going forward?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, what was different today? I think I played a little bit different today.

Normally when he is striking the ball, you feel like the ball is coming with such impact. So you get stressed a little bit like I want to hit harder, or it's tough to control the ball.

That's what I felt like when I played him in Basel and Australian Open. Today I felt I had much better composure during the hitting.

So, yeah, I think that was the biggest difference for me. I'm sorry, what was the --

Q. Just the lesson that you had from getting to the net before you could.

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, I think that's something in my game when I'm playing well, I'm coming a lot forward to the net.

Yeah, sometimes you have tough volleys. Sometimes it's just a put-away. I think it suits my game really well. When I'm playing like this, I think I'm, like, confident in my own game.

Q. Just looking ahead, given what you just accomplished, what are your thoughts about the next match and the rest of the tournament?

BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP: Yeah, I think all the match-ups are tough, of course. I think next round is Jack Draper. I think a really good player, having a good season this year. Big serve and big strokes. So it's going to be, again, a really tough match.

Yeah, looking forward to the rest of the tournament. Of course, I think everybody in the draw, who is still left in the draw, are amazing players. So, yeah, I think every matchup is going to be a tough match up.