Carlos Alcaraz has lifted the lid on what it took to come from behind against Jannik Sinner in the French Open final earlier this year. The young Spaniard fought back from two sets down to break the heart of his Italian rival at Roland Garros. The match, which lasted five hours and 29 minutes, is already regarded by many tennis fans as one of the greatest clashes of all time.
Alcaraz was on the brink of defeat in the fourth set, when Sinner had three championship points, but he saved every one to force a decider. It boiled down to a fifth-set tiebreak, with Alcaraz prevailing to defend his title in dramatic fashion. Sinner was visibly heartbroken after the end of the match but he managed to get his revenge at Wimbledon the following month.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Alcaraz insisted that he never thought he would lose despite the odds being stacked against him. He also emphasised the importance of the strong body language he used to gain a mental edge over Sinner.
“I simply thought about coming back little by little, one point at a time, especially on those three match points,” he explained. “Closing a major title is never easy and I knew I would have my chances.
“I knew things would not be easy for Jannik. That’s how I remained calm and focused. It was also a bit of the image of self-confidence I wanted to share.
“I did not doubt that I could come back for a second and I tried to show that to my rival. As soon as you show weakness, there’s no chance of coming back, you are lost.”
Alcaraz also spoke about his growing rivalry with Sinner, which has remained friendly in spite of their battles on the court.
“Trash-talking gets a lot of attention,” he said. “People really like the idea that there is friction between us. That’s what sells, but although tennis is an individual sport, we are with the same players every week, day in and day out.
“Jannik and I, who have had great battles on the court, see each other a lot off of it. We talk, we train together sometimes. And in the end you forge a good relationship, a beautiful relationship.
“We want to win and beat each other, but then off court, being good people and getting along is another matter. For me, that is one of the virtues and values of sport.”
Alcaraz will be hoping to avenge his Wimbledon defeat by outlasting Sinner at the upcoming US Open, the final Grand Slam event of the season.
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Content Source: www.express.co.uk