Carlos Alcaraz Reveals the Importance of Strong Body Language During Key Grand Slam Matches After Progressing to the US Open Semifinals

Carlos Alcaraz extended his unbeaten run to 11 matches, with an excellent performance to beat Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals at the US Open. The former World No.1 needed full concentration for the one-hour and fifty-six-minute clash to earn his place in the semi-finals of the New York Grand Slam tournament.

Lehecka was one of the six men who had beaten Alcaraz on tour this season, and that came at the Doha Open in February. Alcaraz’s mistakes were what led to the loss, but at the US Open, the Spaniard produced an imperious performance against Lehecka, surrendering just seven of his 45 points behind his first delivery, and was never broken.

The 22-year-old dazzled with his trademark drop shots and volley, while hitting audacious forehand shots that Lehecka struggled to keep pace with. The 20th seed pressed Alcaraz to the brink, especially in the third set, when he did everything to break the World No.2, but it was Alcaraz who ended up breaking him to lead 5-4.

Alcaraz then patiently served for the match, earning a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the US Open semi-final for the first time since 2023. He’s yet to drop a set at the tournament and has produced his best consistent performance at Flushing Meadows so far among the four Grand Slam tournaments.

During his post-match press conference, Alcaraz was asked how his body language on the court sends a message to his opponent. The 2nd seed revealed that he has to prove to his opponents that he’s ready to play long rallies no matter how exhausted he feels:

We are playing two types of matches at the same time. There is the match of playing, the points, and all that, and the match that unfolds behind the scenes, so to speak, the body language. How you show your opponents how you feel is very important. It doesn’t matter if you feel exhausted, very tired, if you feel you can’t go on. But if you show the opponent that you are fresh, that you are capable of playing two, three, or more hours, of playing long rallies, you are conveying the idea that it will be very difficult.

Alcaraz has now reached the quarter-finals of all Grand Slam tournaments this season. At the New York major tournament, he will be seeking to get to his third consecutive major final. The Cincinnati Open champion currently leads the men’s circuit with the highest number of wins (59) this year and also the highest titles (6). The five-time major winner will be aiming to beat his career-best tally of 65 wins and six titles from 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz to play golf with Sergio Garcia ahead of his semi-final tie at the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz is set to face Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the US Open. But before the clash, he will face fellow compatriot Sergio Garcia in a golf face-off. The former World No.1 began playing golf at the start of 2020 and has always revealed how much he loves the sport by celebrating each win at Flushing Meadows with a cheeky golf swing.

After beating Jiri Lehecka, he revealed during his on-court interview that he will compete against Garcia alongside his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, at a golf club in New York. He added that he has been playing golf each day off since the start of the tournament:

It’s something that is working well, so why should I change that routine? Every day off I try to play some golf. Tomorrow I have a really difficult round against Juanki [Juan Carlos Ferrero] and Sergio Garcia is there. We will discuss tomorrow [how many shots I will get] but he has to give me at least 10 to 15… I’m not that good, Sergio.

Alcaraz will face Djokovic for the ninth time on tour and holds a 3-5 head-to-head record against the Serbian legend. Djokovic won their last meeting at the 2025 Australian Open in four sets. The last time Alcaraz defeated the 38-year-old was at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final.

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