Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to finish his 2026 season strongly following a challenging period that included a lengthy absence due to a wrist injury. Despite achieving remarkable success at a young age, the Spanish star has confessed that certain aspects of his match play still present significant difficulties.
Carlos Alcaraz confesses that he still struggles to be patient during points
As reported by sports.yahoo.com, Alcaraz has already secured a title since returning from his injury layoff and advanced to the semi-finals at the Vienna Open following a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory over Tommy Paul. Speaking to the media in a post-match press conference, the young champion addressed questions regarding his wide variety of shots and whether selecting the correct option during intense rallies poses a challenge.
Alcaraz acknowledged that making rapid decisions on the court remains a hurdle for him, admitting that he occasionally picks suboptimal shots and needs to develop greater patience during extended rallies. “Well it’s difficult for me sometimes,” Alcaraz said, as quoted by sports.yahoo.com. “Tennis is about making decisions in less than a second and that’s what makes tennis really difficult.”
He added that while some decisions come naturally without overthinking, he sometimes opts for high-risk choices under the belief that he can execute a difficult sequence of shots, only to make the wrong call. To address this, Alcaraz explained that he is attempting to maintain a clear tactical plan for the opening two or three shots of a point before relying on his instincts. “I am just trying to be better on that and have a specific plan in my head for the first two, three balls and after that let my instinct play, see how the match goes, but sometimes it’s really difficult for me. The other question is that I’m getting patient right now but I wouldn’t say it’s my best skill yet,” he stated.
Who is Carlos Alcaraz playing in the Vienna Open semi-finals?
Looking ahead in the Austrian capital, Alcaraz faces a demanding semi-final clash against former world number one Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev enters the matchup in strong form, having claimed seven consecutive victories after securing the Almaty Open title the previous week.
Historically, Alcaraz holds the upper hand in their head-to-head record, having won six of their nine prior encounters, including four out of six matches on hard courts. However, Medvedev emerged victorious in their most recent meeting earlier this year in the semi-finals of Indian Wells, halting Alcaraz’s 16-match winning streak.
The winner of the semi-final showdown between Alcaraz and Medvedev will advance to the final to face either the new world number one Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur.
