Current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz collapsed unexpectedly during his hotly anticipated French Open semifinal match against Novak Djokovic, and Alcaraz’s physiotherapist, Juanjo Moreno, has revealed what happened.
Alcaraz and Djokovic played each other in the Roland Garros semifinals on June 9. After Djokovic had outwitted a nervous Alcaraz in the first set and the Spaniard had fought back in the second, the match was living up to the hype. However, in the third set, the 20-year-old went down with cramps.
In Novak voice: NOT TOO BAD 🤯#RolandGarros | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/pHkwxrff4u
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2023
Novak Djokovic sweeps Alcaraz following latter’s cramp
At 1-1, Alcaraz stopped playing and tossed his racquet to the ground after he hit a forehand into the net. The Spaniard then made an apparent effort to stretch out his cramped legs. Djokovic displayed etiquette by checking on Alcaraz while the chair umpire attended to him.
The 2022 US Open Champion, who was the pre-match favorite, only managed to win two games over the course of the next two sets because he could not release the tension in his muscles. Djokovic won the final two sets pretty easily, with scores of 6-1, and 6-1.
THANK YOU PARIS for the support! 🧡 Congratulations to @DjokerNole for the victory and good luck in the final on Sunday! See you next year @rolandgarros! 😘
📸 Getty pic.twitter.com/xbfed0Smj9
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) June 9, 2023
Physio Juanjo Moreno highlights mental stress for 20-year-old Spaniard
Juanjo Moreno opened up about the disappointing defeat, one where the World No. 1 couldn’t perform at his best because of the injury. “We are scr*wed. A defeat always hurts. It is difficult to accept, but we always say that it is not a defeat, but rather a learning experience,” he said.
Moreno then gave some relieving news, stating that the Spaniard was doing fine after receiving proper treatment, “After the game I have been treating Carlos and his body is fine, the musculature is in order.”
He continued by saying that Alcaraz mentally collapsed as the match time got closer because of the weight of the moment.
“It happens to many athletes in the press room, for example. Carlos has always managed this very well. In the warm-up we were enjoying ourselves, having a good time. But when you get closer to the game, nerves appear, tension, and on this occasion perhaps the mental tension has been more noticeable than at any other time,” he added.
Due to Carlos Alcaraz’s collapse, Novak Djokovic is now one step closer to becoming the first man to win 23 Grand Slams, as he qualifies for the 2023 French Open final. He is scheduled to face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the finals on June 11 at 1:30 PM GMT.
