Carlos Alcaraz detailed last year's Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, confirming that he was very nervous.
So far, the biggest final Alcaraz has ever played in his career was likely the Wimbledon final last year against Djokovic. It was a major final of arguably the biggest tennis event in the world and a Grand Slam final against arguably the greatest tennis player of all time.
Some other things made it also nerve-wracking, mostly Djokovic's track record on grass, as he was unbeaten on that court for ten years, and Alcaraz's lack of experience on the green low-bouncing surface.
The start of the match wasn't very good for Alcaraz, as he quickly lost the opening set, but he turned it around completely, which was impressive to see. Speaking to the Sunday Times, the Spaniard admitted that he was very nervous before that final against Djokovic.
"Nervous? Of course! Before the Wimbledon final last year it was really difficult before coming to the court. I am working with a psychologist [Isabel Balaguer from the University of Valencia] and I told her before the warm-up, ‘I am incredibly nervous!’ I was nervous since breakfast. So two hours before the final I put my headphones on. Calm music, breathing slowly."
Alcaraz tried various methods to calm down before the match, and while it didn't really work out, the Spaniard was still able to prepare well for the match, which he ended up winning, so technically, everything worked out in the end.
"I was in the gym at Wimbledon, lying on a physio table. It probably looked as if I was sleeping but I was just controlling my emotions, trying to calm myself and my muscles."
"I was there for more than 30 minutes. And then when I stepped on the court for the final I was still nervous. But at least I had warmed up well, had planned well, and this helped me to trust myself in the match."
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