HSBC CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 19, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz

Queens Club

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/J. Munar

6-4, 6-7, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. In the middle of the third set, you understandably looked frustrated. When you sat down at 2-All, maybe you weren't thinking straight. How were you feeling? And how did you get your head together to fight back the way you did?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, honestly, yeah, I felt good during the whole match. I felt like I was playing great tennis from the baseline. But the serve was really disappointing. I mean, 52%, 53%, 50% in the three sets, something like that. So it was really disappointing that I got frustrated for that.

Got the break in the third set, and then he broke my serve twice in a row. Yeah, that's where the frustrated came from. Yeah, I'm not used to do it. Honestly, I use to control myself a little bit, my emotions. Today I couldn't, but I didn't give up. I just kept fighting, stayed there in the match the way that I could. And just happy that I got, you know, through in the end. But yeah, I got frustrated for that.

Q. There has been a lot of talk at Wimbledon about security for players on the grounds, and there have been incidents this year. Have you ever had an incident where you have not felt safe with fans around or anything like that?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I never feel not safe during tournaments or in the club, on court or whatever. But yeah, sometimes, you know, when you're walking around, when you're walking on the streets, when you're, like, say, off of the tournament, yeah, there are some situations that you don't feel safe with some fans that they always walking behind you or something, they never give you, leave you alone.

So there are some situations that, yeah, I felt weird, let's say. Sometimes, you know, the fans don't know how to deal with that situations that they always pushing me all the time that I take picture, autograph or whatever. If I say no, they don't understand sometimes. So that's the situations that I'm not feeling safe.

But during the tournaments or when I'm on-site, I always felt safe.

Q. Do you have extra security with you? Like when you're in Ibiza just now, would you go out with the security people just in case?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Not personal. Obviously it is the security of the place that I went. There are some places that don't have security, so I'm just going by myself.

Yeah, I think about it sometimes, but I don't know. I'm still not sure about getting a personal security. But sometimes I thought about it, but if I get it, I feel like I'm acting like I'm not a normal guy. So sometimes when I'm back home or going to some places, I would love to feel that I'm normal, not that professional or not that part of the people. But yeah, I'm just going by myself.

Q. Both of you seemed unhappy with the shot clock at times today. Obviously it was a long match with long rallies. Did you feel there would be some leeway there? Once you spoke to the umpire, do you think that changed a bit?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: It was a really long match. The conditions today was extreme with the heat. It was really, really hot out there, and yeah, really long rallies, long games. I felt like I had no time to recover between points. I was in a rush all the time.

So it was kind of I can't approach the next point in appropriate way. I mean, that talk with the umpire, it wasn't because of that I didn't lose the focus, but it was a problem all the time with all the clock.

Jaume talked to the umpire with the same thing. They have to change that. But yeah, I mean, they have to know where to put the clock, you know, right after the point or wait a little bit, because after long points, long rallies, I finish the point at the net, I should have a little bit more of time just to approach the next point in a proper way. That's what I felt today.

Q. Next match you're going to play the winner of this match. Two years ago you played against Arthur. It was a very long match. What do you remember of this match, and what do you think of him if he ever wins this match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, I remember it was my first match on grass that year. It was really tough. He could beat me that match. It was really, really tight. I remember his chances.

But helped me a lot coming from next matches. As I said many times, as much time as you spend on the court, you know, for example on grass, at the beginning of the tournaments, much better, because you get more experience, you get more time just to know how to play on grass.

So I appreciate, for example, this match, as well. It gave me great feedback to how to approach the next match, what I have to improve the next match.

Arthur is a great player. He's playing great tennis lately. His game on grass is really dangerous, so I have to be really focused on the return, on the serve, and I have to be better, you know, on the things that I did wrong today.

Q. This is the longest winning streak of your career so far. Do you think that it's maybe the most confident that you have ever felt on court?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Probably (smiling). Yeah, I mean, the level that I'm playing lately, it's really high. I feel that. Yeah, I have a lot of confidence right now.

Obviously this tournament is kind of getting experience, getting myself used to the grass again. But yeah, just really happy to get my longest winning streak of my career. Hopefully not gonna stop here (smiling). I'm gonna keep, like, want to keep winning. Yeah, that give me a lot of confidence. The wins give you confidence on that, so let's see what match I'm gonna stop.

Q. You and your opponent both embodied the spirit of "Spanish never die" today. How important is that mentality to you when you're struggling in those difficult moments?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, it's really important to think positive all the time. Today there were a few moments that I didn't think positive at all (smiling).

But I didn't give up. So I think that's the most important thing. So probably negative thoughts come to your mind in few moments, but the most important thing is you don't give up. You just keep fighting. You just have to keep playing.

Know that the opponent was going to give you chances to put yourself into the match again. That's what I thought today. Just keep fighting and show the opponent that if he wants to beat you, he has to play at his best level. I think that's a great mentality, a great thing to show to the opponent.