Carlos Alcaraz overcame the Italian Open crowd to reach the final for the first time.
The 22-year-old is one of the most beloved players on the tour and receives plenty of support wherever he plays around the world.
But the Italian fans are some of the most passionate in the world and they throw their support behind their home players.
That is exactly what took place when Carlos Alcaraz faced Lorenzo Musetti in Friday’s semi-final in front of a packed crowd on centre court.
What did Carlos Alcaraz think of the Italian Open crowd during his semi-final?
The Italian players have certainly impressed during their home tournament. Musetti and World number one Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals, while Jasmine Paolini will face Coco Gauff in the women’s final.
Musetti, who became the ninth man to reach the last four at all three clay-court Masters 1000 events in the same season, was unable to go a step further.
Alcaraz was able to produce his best tennis at key moments consistently, which was enough to outlast the Italian, despite having the crowd on his side.
Speaking of the crowd, Alcaraz reflected on how they reacted throughout the contest, and praised them for being respectful towards him.
“Today the crowd was for Lorenzo. So it wasn’t easy. It was great honestly,” he said post-match. “The atmosphere was great. I have to say thank you for them being respectful as well.
“Obviously there are some times they were cheering for him in some moments between serves or whatever. But in general they were respectful. So I have to thank them.”
Carlos Alcaraz matches Stefan Edberg statistic after reaching Italian Open final
Though he hit 42 unforced errors, Alcaraz struck 19 winners in his semi-final win over Musetti in Rome.
Alcaraz also made the most of exploiting his opponent’s second serve return, winning 73% of those points on the way to a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory.
The World number two has now won 14 of his last 15 matches, and he has tied Stefan Edberg for the second-most wins in their first 100 matches at ATP Masters 1000 level with 77.
Alcaraz will play either Sinner or Tommy Paul in the final, and he is looking forward to the challenge of facing either player.
“In the final, let’s see who I’m gonna play against. Both are playing great. Jannik… I mean everybody saw the match against Casper. It was a huge level. Let’s see,” Alcaraz said.
“If I’m gonna play against Tommy Paul, I have to be ready for that. If I play Jannik, I have to be ready for that battle. And obviously dealing with the crowd. It’s gonna be an interesting Sunday for sure.”
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