THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 3, 2022

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

J. SINNER/C. Alcaraz

6-1, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Carlos, give us your thoughts.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it was a tough match obviously. I mean, Jannik was better than me. I didn't play really well. Obviously good run here in Wimbledon.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. There was a nice moment in the third set when Jannik fell over. You came over and checked to see if he's okay. Considering the events of Kyrgios and Tsitsipas yesterday, how important do you think it is to show respect to your opponent?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, talking myself, I mean, I always trying to be good person first and then good athlete. We had a good relationship, as I said, with Jannik off the court.

Obviously if I see my opponent fall or, I mean, if he feel pain, I going to ask him if he's okay, if everything going well. I mean, I have much respect to him.

Obviously we are friends and good person, first of all.

Q. Do you think you and Jannik could be rivals for the next 10, 15 years?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Hope so. I'm going to try to be one of the best tennis player in the world for many years. Obviously Jannik is one of the best tennis player in the world as well. For sure he's going to be in the top for many years.

I hope to have good rivalry with him. We hope to fight for the best tournaments in the world and the best moment in the world together.

Q. What didn't you do well enough to win this match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I didn't start well the match. The first set I made a lot of mistakes. In the second set, as well. Obviously Jannik played really well, better than me, in the first and second set.

Obviously start two sets to love in a Grand Slam is a handicap. Is tough to come back. Well, I try to get better in the third and the fourth, but obviously Jannik, as I said, was better than me. Didn't take my chances in the fourth. A lot of break points.

Well, starting like this, as I said in Roland Garros, starting like this against one of the best player in the world here in a Grand Slam, it's tough to come back then. I'm trying to improve that for the next Grand Slams, to start better the matches.

Q. If he plays Novak in the next round, do you think he has a chance?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I can't answer that because I lost. I mean, I can't answer that.

Q. People talk about grass and say it's all about having experience on grass. Do you feel like you can come back in 2023 and be one of the contenders?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I felt really well here in Wimbledon play on grass. I got a lot of experience playing on grass.

Now I'm thinking that myself could be a great player on grass. Next year hope to play some tournaments before here in Wimbledon to, I mean, adapt my game to used to play here in grass.

But I would say I'm going to be a great player here on grass.

Q. How do you explain the fact that at the beginning you were not playing so well? Was it the pressure? Maybe because you thought you were the favorite, you were not playing so well? Anything that surprised you about Sinner compared to previous times? Once you won the third set, did you think it's a different match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, of course I start really nervous. Playing on Centre Court is not easy for me. Jannik could handle it better than me, the nerves and the pressure, I'd say.

Of course, I was trying to get better, trying to think what was happening. Of course in the third set it was a little bit different. He could break my serve I think a couple of times. I was struggling a lot with my serve and couldn't return well.

After the third set I had chances to break the serve to be up in the fourth, but I couldn't took that chances. I think in the second break point he had, he break me the serve. Well, it was tough to come back in the fourth being break down.

All I can say is I couldn't take the chances. That's tough.

Q. Given this year you were a contender at the French Open, then next year you could go very deep, win it, do you wish the grass court season would be a little bit longer so players would have more time?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it's depend. If I win French Open, of course I will have a couple days off. But is depend of my run on the French Open, the clay season.

But I hope to play more tournaments. I hope to play more matches on grass before Wimbledon next year to prepare well this Grand Slam, this beautiful Grand Slam.

Even if I didn't play this year a tournament before, I felt really well. I felt that I had chances to do well here in Wimbledon. I'll try next year to play more matches on grass before here on Wimbledon.