"He might say that he wasn’t mature enough, but he is" - Darren Cahill on Carlos Alcaraz's comments after US Open SF defeat to Daniil Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz's admission of lacking maturity to handle challenging matches following his defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open semifinals has been contested by Jannik Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill.

Alcaraz's title defense at the New York Major came to an end in the semifinals, with Medvedev claiming a 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory to advance to the final at Flushing Meadows.

Following his defeat, the Spaniard admitted that despite feeling like a more experienced player, he was unable to find solutions to counter Medvedev's high level of play during the match.

"Well, these kind of matches can happen even if I feel myself different player, more mature. You know, he played really, really great, a great game. So I couldn't find solutions on the match," Carlos Alcaraz said during his post-match press conference.

The 20-year-old also confessed that while he had believed that his experience had granted him enough expertise, the defeat prompted him to reevaluate his maturity.

"You know, I thought that, right now I am better player to find solutions when the match is not going in the right direction for you. But after this match, I’m gonna change my mind. I'm not mature enough to handle these kind of matches. So I have to learn about it," he added.

Darren Cahill discussed Carlos Alcaraz's remarks regarding his maturity on the latest episode of the Advantage Connors podcast with Jimmy Connors and his son Brett.

The Australian praised the Spaniard for his remarkable achievement in winning the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, particularly lauding his victory over Novak Djokovic in the final.

"I think that what Carlos was able to achieve at Wimbledon, firstly being remarkable. Secondly, going from somebody that people were thinking okay it’s going to take this guy quite a few years, and even Novak said this, quite a few years to be a threat on grass to be able to, 12 months later, turn around and hold that trophy aloft and beat Novak in a final, that says everything," he said.

Cahill expressed his admiration for the 20-year-old's competitiveness, work ethic and determination. He also disagreed with Alcaraz's own assessment of his maturity and asserted that the World No. 2 is indeed mature enough to handle tough matches.

"That says everything about the competitiveness that Carlos has, his work ethic, his determination and also his maturity. He might say that he wasn’t mature enough, but he is. He’s definitely mature enough," he added.

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"Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are very alike and that’s why they’re actually good friends off the court as well" - Darren Cahill

Carlos Alcaraz

Darren Cahill showered praise on Carlos Alcaraz, commending his humility and honesty. He also highlighted the similarities between the Spaniard and Jannik Sinner, both in terms of personality and their determination to succeed.

However, Cahill also acknowledged that Alcaraz had a slight edge over the Italian in their development as players.

"I think he’s an amazing young man and certainly very humble and very honest. I think that both he and Jannik are very alike in many many ways and that’s why they’re actually good friends off the court as well is because they do get along. They do think the same, they do want it as badly as everybody. And Carlos is a little bit ahead of Jannik just at the moment," he said.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner stand level in their head-to-head record with three wins apiece. However, it was the Italian who came out on top in their most recent encounter in the 2023 Miami Open semifinals.