Carlos Alcaraz a vécu une journée plutôt tranquille ce mercredi à Wimbledon. Pour son deuxième tour, l'Espagnol a été bousculé dans la première manche par l'Australien Aleksandar Vukic mais a fini par prendre l'avantage au jeu décisif avant de dérouler son jeu. Score final : 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2. Déjà vainqueur de trois titres du Grand Chelem, sur trois surfaces différentes, l'Espagnol rêve de faire aussi bien que l'an passé à Londres : remporter le titre et devenir l'un des rares joueurs à faire le doublé Roland-Garros - Wimbledon. Son prochain adversaire sera néanmoins dangereux puisque ce sera l'Américain Frances Tiafoe.
Video : @Wimbledon
Video : @Wimbledon
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SportTranscription
00:00Carlos, we'll start. So nice to get that win under your belt today. How are you feeling?
00:08Well, I'm really happy with the way that I played today. I'm feeling that I'm getting
00:14better and better every day that I practice on grass, playing matches. So I'm really happy
00:21about the way that I played and hopefully keep improving and getting higher.
00:27Hi Carlos, in for quality shots. Congratulations on your win. I was just speaking to Francis
00:33and he was saying that behind the scenes you guys were interacting in between your matches
00:36and he was saying that he's looking forward to playing against you. How do you deal playing
00:39against someone who you're very close friends with off the court and interact with like
00:42that and also keep yourselves in the zone when you go on the court?
00:47Well, I mean, I have a really good relationship with a lot of players behind the scenes. But
00:56once you step on the court, there are no friends. You have to be on your own, focus on yourself
01:03and try to beat him. That's how tennis works. Francis is a great player, a great person
01:14as well. He always smiles. It seems like he's enjoying his time on the court, off the
01:26court as well. It's pretty impressive. I try to put a show every time that he steps on
01:34the court as well. It's going to be a really fun match to play, to watch. I'll try to put
01:40my good weapons on the mat and try to beat him.
01:48How is your game compared to 12 months ago at this stage?
01:56Well, it's a good question. I think it's similar. I'm feeling similar than last year. Obviously,
02:10as I said, I'm getting better and better. Hopefully, if I keep winning, I'm going to
02:15find the same level as the final last year. I'm going to say I reached the top of the
02:23top in the final last year. I'm feeling that I'm playing great tennis. Physically, I'm
02:30feeling great. Hopefully, I'll keep going.
02:36What is it like being here as the defending champion? You've been the defending champion
02:41in the US Open as well. How does that change your experience of these tournaments?
02:47I've been in this position before as a defending champion in a Grand Slam. Last year in the
02:56US Open, I felt not too much pressure. I tried not to think about it this year. Here in Wimbledon,
03:06it's the same feeling. Obviously, it's special to play as a defending champion and try not
03:13to think about the pressure that I have to win again or to be far. I just try to think
03:21about every day, every match, every practice and try to be better. That's all I'm thinking
03:29right now.
03:31You've played a lot of matches since then. What do you remember of that semi-final match
03:40against Francis at the US Open? What sticks out to you? Was it the crowd, the atmosphere,
03:46the fifth set, the competition? If you think about it, what are the memories?
03:55It's a totally different position. We were playing in the United States in the semi-final
04:06of the US Open against an American guy like Francis. I'm going to say everybody loves
04:14him in the United States. It's a different hour, a different feeling. It was a great
04:22match. I think we played really great points. I think the crowd enjoyed that match. I'm
04:32pretty sure that the people are going to enjoy this match as well.
04:40I remember that I played great tennis. I have a match point in the fourth set. We played
04:50a five set at the end. It was a really close match. Hopefully, it's not going to be the
04:57same this year.
05:00After two games, how happy are you with the level of your tennis and what do you think
05:04you can still improve?
05:08I'm really happy that, for example, the serves and the return in the first match wasn't really
05:15well for me. I improved a lot to this match. I can be better moving. I'm feeling more comfortable
05:26moving on grass. In general, I'm really happy with every serve that I played today, my movement.
05:35Obviously, as I said, I have to keep going.
05:39Compared to last year, even Grand Slam to Grand Slam, the slight tweaks that you're
05:44constantly making, maybe even off the court, whether that be what time you go to bed, how
05:50much you are socialising behind the scenes, what sort of insight can you give us to what
05:55you have been changing here this time?
05:58I've been changing a little bit. Obviously, it's difficult for me in terms of off the
06:06court, going to bed early, eat well, stay focused 24 hours in tennis and everything
06:16I can do better to perform better on the court. I've been changing a few things. I try to
06:27use less the phone. That has been difficult for me. I'm dealing with those things, going
06:38to bed early and try to respect the hours of sleep. I'm trying to do everything that
06:51I can do to be better on the court.
06:57Those pressure points in the match, particularly in that first set, it seems like you've got
07:01a lot better over recent months. How important is the mental side of the game to producing
07:08winners at that very important moment and junctures in the game?
07:15For me, it's everything. If you can stay positive, if you can stay calm in the toughest
07:23situations that probably the match can bring to you, you're going to win. That's it. It's
07:34a battle against the opponent. If you can stay calmer than the opponent, you're going
07:45to be better. In those situations, I try to be positive, to be calm, to think about
07:56I can give my best shot in this moment. Obviously, that helps a lot when you're feeling great
08:08off the court. At least for me, when I'm feeling great, I'm feeling calm off the court
08:14the previous days, the hours before the match, I'm going to perform better and I'm going
08:21to feel better on the court. That's it.