Carlos Alcaraz won yet another match in five sets at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and explained after the match that he was very confident about that.
Alcaraz is one of the best tennis players in the world and is very confident on the tennis court. It's a prerequisite for someone of his level, but confidence is only part of the story.
Many tennis players are confident, but how many actually walk the talk? Very few. Alcaraz does it marvelously, proving it again against Frances Tiafoe. Despite being down 1-2 in sets, the Spaniard raced back to win the match in five.
He did the same thing against Alexander Zverev in Paris, and his win record in five-set matches is incredibly impressive. It's 12-1, and his only loss came against Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.
Since then, he's gone 9-0 in matches that went to a fifth set, which is incredible. He spoke about his record after the win over Tiafoe, admitting that he believes fully that he is going to win if a match goes to five sets.
"I realized that I’m a good player in the fifth set. I push the opponent to their 100% physically and mentally. Sometimes for the other player, it’s difficult to keep this intensity, this kind of level during the fifth set."
"In my head, I’m thinking I’m good at it, and I have to believe I’m gonna win. And I’m gonna play my best tennis. Every match I’ve played five sets, I played really close or at my best. I realized I’m good at it, and I believe I’m gonna win."
So far, it's worked like a charm for the youngster, and he did it against some of the best. Players that he bested in five sets include Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, which just proves that his record is not a fluke.