Carlos Alcaraz Refuses to Disrespect Taylor Fritz as Possible Novak Djokovic Clash Looms at US Open

Carlos Alcaraz is simply unmatched at the US Open, and he showed it on Tuesday afternoon as he beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. And now, all eyes are on an upcoming, potential Australian Open rematch against 24-time slam champion Novak Djokovic. Revenge, perhaps? Well, he’s not too sure since there is an American hurdle that the Serbian will have to go through first.

That hurdle is world No. 4 Taylor Fritz. And while his record against the Serbian is far from flattering at 0-10, Carlos Alcaraz is not willing to count him out just yet. On being asked what he felt about a potential Djokovic encounter in the semifinals, Alcaraz said, “Well, he (Djokovic) has a really difficult match to play before. So I don’t want to talk or have an early talk about my opponent on Friday. This is a really good match to watch, you know, Novak against Fritz. Both are playing great, I guess, so I’m gonna watch it. I don’t want to say anything about my opponents until I know them because I have to respect them and I will watch the match and let’s see on Friday.” Of course, there’s no denying that Fritz has a few things going for him.

Although he acknowledged Djokovic’s “hunger” to win, Alcaraz couldn’t help but admire Fritz’s is “tough” as a potential opponent. “He is playing at home with the crowd behind, supporting him. He’s gonna make that to his favor and the shots he has is unbelievable as well. So he’s really tough. So really interesting to watch.”

On the other hand, there’s no denying the fact that Alcaraz will have revenge on his mind in case Djokovic makes it to the last four against him. Back in January during the ‘Happy Slam’, the Serbian bested him in a thrilling quarterfinal contest despite losing the first set. He eventually beat Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to enter the Australian Open semis. This leads to the topic of consistency that the Spaniard keeps coming across very frequently.

While he seems to be in perfect shape at the moment with a stunning form, there are moments when he appears to falter. Does that affect him in his quest to become a better version, and what’s his take on this overall matter?

Carlos Alcaraz speaks on lacking consistency

Ahead of his quarterfinal encounter against Lehecka, Carlos Alcaraz was asked about what he thinks about questions regarding his consistency. For example, ahead of his dream run between the Italian Open and Wimbledon (where he won three straight titles this season, including a second French Open trophy), he went through a rollercoaster ride.

After losing to Djokovic in Melbourne, he won the ATP Rotterdam, but what followed was a bit of a trophy drought. Of course, even that stretch included quarterfinal and semifinal runs in Qatar and Indian Wells. And while he could not make it past the Round of 64 in Miami, he did come back to win the Monte Carlo Masters title. Heck, he has reached the quarterfinals of a major in 11 of the last 12 Grand Slams he has played in. But then again, when your name is Carlos Alcaraz, consistency has a different definition.

Speaking his heart out, Alcaraz revealed, “Well, yeah, probably a lot of people have talked about that I am not as consistent as I should be. But at the same times, those stats are really great to know for me just to see that, you know, I’m making really good results in the really good tournaments.”

He added, “Obviously, sometimes, I’m really hard with myself that the quarterfinal is not enough, semifinal is not enough sometimes. But you have to see more than the results.” Stressing on his urge for consistency, he continued, “I’ve been talking a lot of about I should be better, you know, consistency, playing much better, the matches, or whatever. So, that’s why a lot of people have talked about it as well.” Well, his consistency will be tested come the semifinals, and that will be the case irrespective of who he faces. To make sure you stay updated on all the latest developments around Carlos Alcaraz and others at the US Open, head to EssentiallySports’ live blog of the slam.