Alcaraz Jokes About Stress He Causes: 'My Dad’s Probably Gonna Get a Heart Attack'
News
Carlos Alcaraz gave an interesting insight into how difficult it is to play well for an entire match and what he believes is the sign of a real champion.
Despite reaching the semifinal, Alcaraz has not always been at his best at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. He lost the opening set against Francisco Cerundolo and had issues early in the opening set against Daniel Altmaier.
Alcaraz also lost the first set against Arthur Fils in the quarterfinal and found himself 0-40 down at 5-5 in the second. The four-time Grand Slam champion managed to turn the match around and set up a semifinal meeting with Francisco Cerundolo.
In his press conference after beating Fils, a reporter mentioned how Alcaraz has been starting matches slowly and waiting until he was in trouble to play better. The Spaniard jokingly said his team has asked him to stop giving them heart attacks.
"Yeah… I know. I think for my health and my team's health, it’s important to play the best points a little bit earlier. You know, probably a few times my team and my dad told me that he's probably gonna get a heart attack sometimes (smiling)."
Alcaraz then got more serious and said real champions find their best tennis when it is needed most and mentioned how challenging it is to play at a high level for an entire match, which can often be lengthy.
"I think that real champions find the right level, you know, when it's needed. Obviously, I would love to play at such a high level on my best tennis from the beginning until the last ball. But in tennis we play in two hours, two hours and a half… so it is the most difficult thing to do in tennis to maintain your best tennis during two hours & a half. So when it's needed, it's great to find the good tennis."
"But, you know, in the whole match, I would love to play a good tennis, but sometimes I'm playing against an opponent who plays better… and you have to accept it and run and fight."
"You know, I think I just, yeah, I just played a good second set, but we both didn't have chances until the end of the set. So that means that we were playing great tennis, both of us, in the service game, but yeah, I think the real champions find the good tennis in the tough moments."
Alcaraz having this perspective at just 21 is healthy. That has probably helped him to be so successful at a young age and achieve more in a few years than most players dream of throughout their careers.
The two-time Wimbledon winner had never won a main draw match at the Monte-Carlo Masters before this year's iteration. He is now two matches away from a sixth Masters 1000 and third on clay.
There is still a long way to go, but Novak Djokovic and three-time Monte-Carlo defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas' exits make him an even more overwhelming favorite for the title.
