Tennis commentator Greg Rusedski praised the fitness levels of Carlos Alcaraz during his French Open semi-final against Jannik Sinner.
The Spaniard was aiming to reach his first final in Paris but he was involved in a tight battle against the soon-to-be new World number one.
In a match where both players struggled to find their best form at times, it was the 21-year-old’s mental strength that helped come back from behind to seal a 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
He will face Alexander Zverev on Sunday, who also reached his first Grand Slam final after defeating Capser Ruud in four sets.
Greg Rusedski marvels at Carlos Alcaraz’s fitness levels in French Open semi-final
Something that was also impressive from the third seed was endurance and how he seemed to get stronger in the closing stages of the five-set French Open encounter.
After Sinner regained the lead to go up two sets to one, Alcaraz began to play with more width and shape which threw his opponent off balance.
This allowed him to break the Italian’s serve to take the fourth set to send the match into a deciding set, which he went on to win.
The two-time major just seemed to get stronger in the final set despite playing for almost four hours, which left Rusedski in awe.
“Alcaraz looks like it is the first point of the match and we are deep into the 5th set,” the former US Open runner-up tweeted. “Staggering his fitness level at such a young age.”
How did Carlos Alcaraz manage his fitness in the French Open semi-final?
Though Alcaraz began to play close to his best level of tennis towards the end of his match with Sinner, much like the 22-year-old he struggled with cramp which began in the early stages of the contest.
But according to media outlet Relevo, the player drank pickle juice as well as salts and vitamins to help ease the pain and prevent further cramping.
During his post-match interview he described how he felt during the match, which brought back memories from his French Open semi-final a year ago against Novak Djokovic. “I was cramping, Jannik as well in the first set. So we had to fight,” Alcaraz said.
“I learnt from last year’s match against Djokovic, I was in the same position as today, but I know in this moment you have to be calm and keep going, because the cramp is going to go away. You have to stay there fighting.
“I am really happy with everything I have done today, waiting for my moments until the last moment where I took it.”
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