Alcaraz on 'disconnections' & mental adjustments

It was fifth time lucky for Li Tu on Tuesday night in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Facing Carlos Alcaraz, the Australian had let slip four set points that would have levelled his first-round US Open clash against the Spaniard after two sets. However, at the fifth time of asking, Tu made no such mistake and he lifted his hand to his ear as the arena exploded, celebrating the fact that they were witnessing an intense battle, which was now tied thanks to the heroics of the No. 186 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“It’s something I’ve often said I have to improve on; ‘disconnections’,” Alcaraz reflected later. “I went out for the match really focused and up for it, knowing what I had to do at all times. Of course, his game helped everything go smoothly because he made a lot of errors, I think he was a little nervous. Then, in the second set, he upped his level and I made a lot of unnecessary mistakes. I’ve seen the stats... I went from two in the first set to 18 in the second. That’s a big change and that’s why the set got away from me.

“These are things I have to improve, avoiding those kinds of disconnections. I can’t allow myself to make so many errors without knowing why. In general, I’m happy with my level and the way I hit the ball and moved. I felt good, apart from those small things I have to improve on.”

In any case, the win has allowed Alcaraz to break a new barrier; he now has 60 major wins under his belt. Only John McEnroe, by one match, required fewer encounters to reach the mark.

“Such a shame that McEnroe beat me by one match!” joked Alcaraz. “It’s a great stat. I wasn’t aware of it, but that’s why we work hard every day, to try and be better, to win matches and to give ourselves the chance to reach the final rounds of every tournament, above all in the Grand Slams. For me it’s an honour to be able to share stats like that with great legends of the sport. Now we want to reach 70 and then 80. And try to get as many Grand Slam wins as possible.”

It was not the only statistic thrown up after the match. By getting past Tu, Alcaraz has strung together 15 major wins, with his titles at the French Open and Wimbledon and now his opener at the US Open. Quite the streak.

“I honestly haven’t thought about it,” admitted Alcaraz. “I haven’t thought about how many straight wins I had in Grand Slams, but we’ll try to keep adding to that number. As I’ve said before, that’s why we work hard; to try and win as many matches as possible, to produce our best level and try to be better. And of course, to give ourselves the chance to play in the final rounds of every tournament, above all at the Grand Slams.”

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