The level we have seen today of Grigor Dimitrov He is one of those who opt to win any tournament on the circuit. The Bulgarian now has the mission of putting him into play much more frequently to give himself that opportunity. Of course, he is the best tennis player we have ever seen and he has been showing it for a few months now. At 33 years old, he is finding his maturity.
How he feels now
I don’t want to put a grade on how I feel because tomorrow I have another game. That’s how this sport is. You are very happy for such a victory, but you have to focus soon for another match. I can only say that I am very proud of myself for playing so clean throughout the match.
He did everything well
I always say that Carlos is like a firecracker. Is incredible. I love watching him play or train with him. I am 12 years older than him. It’s a lot of fun for me to be able to challenge myself in that way. It’s a great opportunity for me. You can’t let him hit. We already saw what happened in the second set, when he broke me. Four rights crossed me. I could not do anything. I just had to remain patient. He knew what was happening and that he would get another chance. I didn’t back down. I believed in the game I was putting in and the execution was perfect.
If before the game you felt confident about messing around like today
No, not really. In the last two or three days I have hardly hit in training. Conditions change a lot from day to night. I always try something new every year and after coming here many times, look, I feel good. I am very proud of the team I have and how much they have helped me stay in my bubble.
If you think that your game adapts to that of Alcaraz and the tactics to be used
I like his game. He is one of the most astute players there is. Sometimes, I see myself reflected in him at certain moments, so I can guess what might come, even if it doesn’t always happen. He is very explosive, and you always have to put him in an uncomfortable situation. Sometimes you have to put power into your punches to keep him at bay. This is especially interesting at delicate points. It’s like playing cat and mouse to see who hits first. I’m sure he feels the same way. Being so young, he is a very complete tennis player. You can see all the things he does. His game is something I like because he always keeps me on my toes.
Compare this match with the one in Shanghai
They are two different games, with different conditions. Last night, he almost watched that game. I was about to hit the play button, but I stopped. I thought I didn’t need to see it, because everything was different. Playing in Asia, on a different track and climate, everything was different. I wanted to come here and start from scratch. Build from the first point. I wasn’t going to have time to put the ball in play and see what he was going to do. Basically, I had to look to my side and hurt him with every hit every chance he got. It’s that simple.
