Ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas has conceded that Carlos Alcaraz is currently ‘just too good’ for him after being dismantled by the Spaniard in their French Open quarter-final. Alcaraz, seeded third at Roland Garros, was at his sublime best to beat the Greek star 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 and set up an enticing final four clash with new world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
In his post-match press conference, Tsitsipas spoke frankly, admitting, “I was pretty sure I could face Carlos today and do something different, but the kid is just too good. He’s really playing amazing. When I play against him, I get reminded of how much there is to improve at.” He also likened Alcaraz to Novak Djokovic and acknowledged the young star’s great tennis IQ, making it extremely challenging to compete against him.
The defeat prolongs the 25-year-old Tsitsipas’ wait for his first Grand Slam title, with his 2021 French Open final defeat to Novak Djokovic being the closest he has come to a major title. Despite feeling powerless against Alcaraz at times, Tsitsipas pointed out that he did come up with some really good shots, but the answers provided by his opponent were better.
Both Tsitsipas and Alcaraz’s next opponent, Jannik Sinner, advanced to the semi-finals with the former defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-3). The upcoming clash between Alcaraz and Sinner promises to be an exciting one as they battle on the Philippe-Chatrie court on Friday.
Tsitsipas’ comments after his French Open exit shed light on the rise of young talent in the world of tennis and the challenges faced by established players in maintaining their dominance. The defeat serves as a learning experience for Tsitsipas and adds to the growing excitement of witnessing the emergence of new tennis stars on the grand stage.