Carlos Alcaraz Admits He Was Afraid of Press Conferences Due to His English: “I was Just Coming Here Sweating”

Carlos Alcaraz will be locking horns with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round of the US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz Admits He Was Afraid of Press Conferences Due to His English: “I was Just Coming Here Sweating”

Carlos Alcaraz (image via Instagram/Carlos Alcaraz)

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Second seed Carlos Alcaraz is into the fourth round of the US Open. On Friday (August 29), Alcaraz went past Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 to take a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head matchups.

At the press conference, the Spaniard recalled his early struggles to converse well in English. He said his English has improved a lot compared to a few years ago, when he dreaded sitting in front of journalists to answer questions.

Well, few years ago, I’m just coming here to the press conference, sweating…like okay, let’s see if I’m going to understand, you know, the question. Let’s see what I’m going to answer. So, right now, I’m just feeling more comfortable. I know you guys, feeling like at home, let’s say. So just, yeah, my English have improved a lot and just trying to talk with the players….talking around just the…watching series and movies in English help me a lot to improve my English.

Carlos Alcaraz said

When asked if he now enjoys press conferences, the reigning French Open champion said he does most of the time, but not when he is asked tricky questions. To improve his English, the 22-year-old also worked with a tutor.

It was at the US Open back in 2022 that Alcaraz clinched his career’s first Grand Slam title by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud. Last year, however, Alcaraz surprisingly crashed out in the second round. This year, no ATP player has reached more finals and won titles than him. In New York, Alcaraz is bidding to win his seventh trophy of the season and his second Grand Slam title after French Open victory (beat Jannik Sinner in five sets).

Alcaraz is aiming to become a double Grand Slam winner in a season for the second time. Last year, he completed the Channel Slam by defeating Alexander Zverev at the French Open and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. Before the US Open, he reached the finals of the last seven tournaments he played.

Carlos Alcaraz will face Arthur Rinderknech in the following round

Carlos Alcaraz is expecting some challenges in the fourth round as he will be up against Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman, before scheduling the clash with the five-time Grand Slam champion, knocked out Benjamin Bonzi. Rinderknech, yet to win an ATP title, has progressed to the Grand Slam fourth round for the first time in his career.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

Rinderknech is a very difficult player to face. He is very aggressive, has a great serve, and constantly tries to come to the net. It will be very tough, but as I said, I have to focus on myself and try to show a good level of play. I need to feel the ball well and be physically and mentally fresh.

Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference

Alcaraz holds a 3-0 head-to-head lead over the 30-year-old. It was at Flushing Meadows in 2021 that they faced each other for the first time. Alcaraz won that match in four sets. In their last encounter, in this year’s Queen’s Club Championships (which Alcaraz later won), the World No.2 registered a straight-set win.

Alcaraz is projected to face Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and Jannik Sinner in the final. If he faces the World No.1, it will be their fifth clash this season and third one in Grand Slam events after the French Open and Wimbledon. The Murcia native will also dethrone the four-time Grand Slam champion from the No.1 rankings if he wins the US Open or has a better campaign than his arch-rival. Sinner is the defending champion and will face Denis Shapovalov next.

Also read: Daniel Altmaier Fires Shots at Stefanos Tsitsipas After Heavy Underarm Service Row at the US Open