MELBOURNE – The smile could not be wiped off Carlos Alcaraz’s face after reaching the Australian Open final, but if he wants to take his happiness to another level, he will need to focus on his physical recovery to avoid paying a high price for the toll of the semi-final. The example of Rafael Nadal, he says, will help.
“When I wake up, I’ll be stiff,” he warned during his press conference with Spanish-speaking media.
“It reminds me a bit of when Rafa had that great semi-final in Australia and people thought he wouldn’t be in good shape for the final. Then he went on to win it in five sets. I think that in a Grand Slam final, we can never arrive tired — we have to give everything we’ve got. I believe the match itself will give us energy and help us finish strongly,” said the world number one.
Nadal won a memorable semi-final in 2009, lasting five hours and 14 minutes, against his compatriot Fernando Verdasco; two days later, he brought Roger Federer to tears, defeating him in the deciding set.
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Alcaraz and Zverev took that record away from Nadal and Verdasco: their five-hour-and-27-minute duel, in which the current world number one had to battle through cramps and physical distress, became the longest semi-final in the history of the event.
The defending champion did not want to reveal what he took during the match on Rod Laver Arena, a key factor in regaining movement and power: “I’m not going to say what I took. That stays between my team and me. Physical problems can come from a lack of salts, dehydration, or simply too many nerves.”
“I think there were quite a lot of nerves, and that’s what we’ll try to improve so it doesn’t happen again,” he admitted.
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“Recover and go on to win like Rafa did? I’m not saying that, but it is a clear example that the body can hold up if your mind is in the right place. With a positive attitude and the right mentality, little by little you deal with it much better.
Nadal arrives at Melbourne Park this Friday for commitments with the car brand that sponsors both him and the tournament. He is likely to run into Alcaraz, and the 22-year-old will be able to ask him for a few tips ahead of the most important match of his career.
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