US OPEN

August 30, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

B. VAN DE ZANDSCHULP/C. Alcaraz

6-1, 7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How were you feeling out there today? Did you not feel 100%?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I don't know what to say right now. I mean, first of all, I think he played great. He played really good tennis. I thought he was going to give me more points. I'm going to say more free points, you know.

He didn't make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So I was, you know, confusing a little bit. I didn't know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn't increase my level.

I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn't enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to getting into the match or trying to give myself chances.

So, you know, what can I say? I didn't feel well hitting the ball. I think I made a lot of mistakes. When I wanted to come back or I think I wanted to come back, it was too late.

Q. Just looking back at the schedule of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics, as busy as it was, do you feel like in retrospect you came into this tournament with less energy than you might have in years past?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Probably. Yeah, the tennis schedule is so tight. I've been playing a lot of matches lately, you know, with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games.

I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn't enough.

But, yeah, probably I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to come. But, I mean, I don't want to put that as excuse.

Yeah, it's so tight. Probably I'm a guy or I'm a player that needs more days or more break coming into the good tournaments or the important ones. So I have to think about it, and I have to learn about it. That's it.

Q. What were your emotions like during the match, and what are you feeling right now?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: It was a fight against myself, you know, in my mind during the match. In tennis you are playing against someone that wants the same as you, to win the match, and you have to be as much calm as you can just to think better in the match and try to do good things.

Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, you know, in my mind. I mean, a lot of emotions that I couldn't control.

It was kind of I was up in some points. Then I lose some points; I get down. It was a roller coaster, let's say, in my mind. So I can't be like that if I want to think about big things, so I have to improve it. I have to learn about it.

Q. You said that you weren't sure what to do in the match. Have you ever felt like that much, like, on the court before?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, a few matches that I felt like that. You know, after every match that I felt like that, I always said the same. It was to learn about it. I have to think about it.

I'm thinking right now that I'm not changing, and that's the problem if I'm going to sit here after the matches that I'm going to feel or I felt like that, that I couldn't deal with it, I couldn't change the match or I couldn't push me up a little bit and say that.

So I have to think about it. I have to learn about it, and another chance is going to be really tough if I want to improve. So I can't say much about it.

Q. Winning the silver medal was a big achievement, but do you think coming so close to the gold medal had an affect on you mentally coming here?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Not really. I didn't think about it too much. As I said, being so close of the gold medal, it was difficult for me at the few moments or, you know, one hour, 50 minutes later of the match, but once I realize what I have achieved, it was the silver medal, it was a great achievement.

I was really proud about it, and after the moment that I realized that I got the silver medal and it was a great achievement, I didn't think about it anymore.

So I'm going to say it didn't affect me at all.