New York (AFP) – Carlos Alcaraz said he is increasingly learning what it takes to consistently play his best tennis as he dispatched Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Friday to reach a second US Open final. The 22-year-old Alcaraz advanced to his third consecutive Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 victory over 24-time major winner Djokovic. The Spaniard has won 45 of his last 47 matches and made the final at eight straight tournaments, a run starting with his triumph in Monte Carlo in April.
“It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency on the matches, on the tournaments, on the year in general. Just not having up-and-downs in the match,” said Alcaraz. “Just the level that I start the match, just wanted to keep that level really high during the whole match. I’m thinking I’m doing that in this tournament, which I’m really proud about. I’m just getting mature. I’m just getting to know myself much better, what I need on, off the court.”
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The Spaniard is seeking his sixth major and second in New York after winning the title in 2022. He will play reigning champion Jannik Sinner or Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s final after avenging a quarter-final loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open. “Beating Novak is always special. But I don’t feel like I’ve won anything more than a Grand Slam semi-final. It was an important match, but it was just a ticket to the final,” said Alcaraz. His only loss in his last 37 matches came against Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
“I am performing at a high level and sending a message to the people on the circuit that this is my level,” said Alcaraz. “It is not something exceptional that has happened in one or two tournaments, but rather it is truly my level. It is not my maximum level; I still have room to improve, but it is a high level.”
Djokovic suffered his fourth straight semi-final loss at a Grand Slam and foiled the 38-year-old’s bid to become the oldest major champion. “It’s impressive what he has done this year in the Slams,” said Alcaraz. “I told him always he looks like 25 years old physically, so to maintain that level at 38, it’s impressive.” It is the first time since 2017 that Djokovic has failed to reach a Grand Slam final. His exit also means it is the first season since 2002 where one of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer has not reached the final of a major.
“I lost three out of four Slams in semis against these guys (Alcaraz and Sinner), so they’re just too good, you know, playing on a really high level,” said Djokovic. “It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in the best-of-five on the Grand Slams. I think I have a better chance best-of-three, but best-of-five, it’s tough.”
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