French Open 2023: It's game on, says Tsitsipas ahead of quarter-final clash against Alcaraz
Alcaraz has won all four of his meetings with Tsitsipas so far and will enter this quarter-final as the hot favourite
FollowCarlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas are set to lock horns in a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash at the French Open on Tuesday, June 6.
Alcaraz has looked close to his best form in Paris this year, losing only one set so far. The Spanish star beat the likes of Flavio Cobolli, Taro Daniel, Denis Shapovalov, and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the last eight.
Tsitsipas has also dropped just one set this year, he has gotten past the likes of Vesely, Robert Carballes Baena, Diego Schwartzman, and Sebastian Ofner to make it to the quarterfinals.
Alcaraz has won all four of his meetings with Tsitsipas so far. They first met in the Round of 32 at the 2021 US Open, where Alcaraz won in five sets 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5). They then met again in the Round of 16 at the Miami Open the following year, where the World No. 1 emerged victorious 7-5, 6-3.
These two met in Barcelona in 2022 and 2023, with Alcaraz winning on both occasions en route to title wins. However, Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking forward to the challenge of facing Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 French Open and will get his best game out to reach the quarter-finals.
At the post-match press conference, Tsitsipas praised Alcaraz and stated that he'll need to be at his best against the Spaniard.
"I need to play good tennis. You know, Carlos is someone that keeps the intensity high at all times. He's someone that is not going to give you gaps where his attention is not there. He's very hyper. He's very energetic, and you can see that on the court," he said."He adds a lot of that into the rallies, into his just rituals when he is out there playing the game. He has a lot of that when he plays. I think it has helped him a lot. Of course he has that smile that he said obviously helps him a lot," he added.
Also Read: French Open 2023: Is Alcaraz ready for Tsitsipas confrontation? World No.1 speaks up
Tsitsipas further added that Alcaraz was one of the toughest players to face on the tour and stated that he's looking forward to testing himself against the 20-year-old.
"Right now he's one of the biggest obstacles and challenges for any player to compete against. It pushes us all to be better. Rivalries like this, they are kind of, they are the toughest thing you can get in our sport. Getting to play him as much as possible will eventually give you more chances perhaps to beat him, if that makes sense. You know, I'm looking for those chances myself," he opined.
