Carlos Alcaraz beat Gael Monfils to reach the quarterfinal in Shanghai, and the Spaniard discussed the freedom he is playing with afterward.
Alcaraz made a statement last week at the China Open. He outlasted Jannik Sinner in a brutal battle to seal the title in Beijing in a final-set tie-break. It was his third consecutive victory against the Italian.
The 21-year-old answered his doubters in the process. He experienced a drop in form in the weeks after losing the Olympic gold medal match to Novak Djokovic, including being knocked out early at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
Alcaraz had played well at the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup before the China Open. However, those team events differed from the challenge of putting together a consistent week to win a significant title on the ATP Tour.
The Spaniard, who said he thought the season was too long, did not get much time to rest after his efforts in Beijing. He played his first match at the Shanghai Masters just three days later, and that was only after the tournament directors gave him and Sinner an additional day off.
Managing a hectic schedule has not stopped Alcaraz from continuing his good form in Shanghai. The four-time Grand Slam champion defeated home favorites Juncheng Shang and Yibing Wu in the opening rounds.
Alcaraz then overcame Gael Monfils in the round of 16, getting revenge after the Frenchman beat him in Cincinnati in August. That means he is one win away from potentially meeting Sinner once again in the semifinal.
In his press conference after defeating Monfils, Alcaraz was asked which part of his game is pleasing him the most. The Spaniard responded that playing with freedom and not worrying about mistakes is helping him in Shanghai.
"Well, with the freedom that I'm playing with, I feel like I'm not afraid about the mistakes, I'm just trying to keep going all the time, keep trying if I miss it. Most of the time everything goes well, I can't complain at all."
Alcaraz also said he tells himself to keep trying when some elements of his game are not working well and remains confident that things will improve when he applies that attitude to his tennis.
"But when I mentoned on the things that are not going as good as I wanted, or I don't feel as good as I want, I just keep trying, and at the end everything is going to be better, so that's what I'm pleased the most with, with my performance lately."
Alcaraz is known for smiling on the court during his matches, which is very rare among tennis players. It makes sense that a player who does that feels he plays his best tennis when giving himself freedom and not overly worrying about mistakes.
Despite being a four-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz is still a young player. That means the 21-year-old is still finding the best mental approaches for him on and off the court. Alcaraz will likely improve even further when he develops his mental game even further.
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