Alkarath: “I had cramps all over my body, probably because of the intensity of the game against Djokovic”

Novak Djokovic prevailed in 3-1 sets against Carlos Alcarath who finished the game without any problems but it was obvious he had an injury problem.

As the Spanish tennis player mentioned in the press conference, the problem was bigger than it seemed as he had cramps all over his body. First he emphasized: “To be honest, it was disappointing. Coming into a match like that and feeling cramped at the end of the second set is disappointing. But we know that happens.”

For the feeling he had: “The first two sets were strong and my arm cramped. In the third set I got cramps all over my body. It was difficult to move in the third set.”

For the reason she thinks she had convulsions: “I think it was because of the intensity of the game. It was two really strong sets with lots of rallies, big rallies with lots of different shots.”

If you faced a similar problem in the past: “I had cramps another time, but to such a degree. For example, I had that in the match with Tsitsipas at the US Open, but it wasn’t anything like it.”

As for whether the cramps had anything to do with Novak Djokovic’s game and his game: “Most likely. It’s not easy dealing with Novak, you know. He’s a legend of the sport and if anyone says they step onto the pitch to face him without nervousness, they’re lying. You’re definitely stressed when you play a Slam semi-final, but even more so when you play Novak“.

Whether he was thinking about retiring: “I was in a Grand Slam semi-final, it would be difficult for me to be eliminated. I thought I had a 1% chance of coming back in the fourth set. I also had break points in the first game. I just kept playing and didn’t think about retiring.