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Carlos Alcaraz progressed to the fourth round of the French Open after a 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over Sebastian Korda on Friday, May 31. During the post-match, on-court interview, the Spaniard was asked if he was worried about facing the American in the buildup to the contest. Alcaraz, buzzing with confidence, shrugged off the suggestion. However, the World No. 3's response has not gone down well with several tennis fans.
It took Carlos Alcaraz two hours and 39 minutes to defeat Korda, and for the most part, the Spaniard's forehand looked back to its best after issues with it forced him to miss the Monte Carlo Masters and the Italian. The 21-year-old was also clinical with both his first and second serves.
After the win, Alcaraz said that he "wasn't worried at all" about facing Korda, adding that he was quite aware of his skills and capabilities.
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"Not really. I know my skills. Obviously Sebastian is a great player. A really good ball striker. He hits the ball really clean. It’s difficult to play him. It was like a marathon for me. I had to run side to side a lot. I wasn’t worried at all. I know what I’m capable of, my skills. I know it’s really difficult for him as well," the Spaniard said.
However, Carlos Alcaraz's take came across as a sign of arrogance for a section of tennis fans on Twitter, with one fan opining that even the World No. 1 and 24-time record Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic wouldn't made such remarks.
"Even Novak Djokovic isn’t that arrogant," wrote one fan.
"Jelena Ostapenko's impact IMO," commented another fan, followed by a GIF.
"Pride goeth before a fall Carlos. Bet you didn’t expect Dimitrov to make you feel like you were 13 when he beat you in Miami. Or Rublev to beat you in Madrid QFs," another fan chimed in.
Another set of fans felt bad for Korda, opining that the usually humble American is bound to feel insulted by what Alcaraz had to say.
"Yep. Carlos is full of himself. that is why he practically begs for attention when he hits a good shot. this is not right: you never talk down your opponent. Sebi is a cool dude who is humble like Rafa," one fan wrote.
"And Sebi has beaten him before (at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters). Obnoxious to say he wasn't worried. When he also said this," another fan weighed in.
"Even if he wasn't worried that's insulting and not cool to say publicly. Imagine how that would feel to Sebi or anyone," yet another fan commented.
Carlos Alcaraz to face either Ben Shelton or Felix Auger-Aliassime next
Carlos Alcaraz, who will get a day off on Saturday, June 1, is still awaiting to find out if he will meet No. 15 seed Ben Shelton or No. 21 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Shelton and Auger-Aliassime's match had started on Friday on Court Suzanne Lenglen. However, play was suspended due to rain with the latter leading the first set 5-4. The match is set to resume on Saturday, giving Alcaraz a slight edge in terms of recovery time.
The Spaniard leads the head-to-head against Shelton 1-0, but trails 2-3 against Auger-Aliassime. Whoever wins, will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Matteo Arnaldi in the French Open quarterfinals.
