Alcaraz on Fils win: 'Real champions find the right level when needed'

Carlos Alcaraz did not have things all his own way on Friday against Arthur Fils, but found a way to reach the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-final for the first time.

Following his hard-fought three-set win, the Spaniard reflected on his champion mindset.

“I think that real champions find the right level when it's needed,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “Obviously I would love to play a high level and my best tennis from the beginning until the last ball, but I think in tennis we play for two hours and a half, so it is the most difficult thing to do, to maintain your best tennis.

“When it's needed, it's great to find the good tennis. But sometimes I'm playing against an opponent who is playing better and you have to accept it and run and fight.”

Alcaraz has become a seasoned champion in the early stages of his historic career. A four-time major titlist, the 21-year-old Spaniard is chasing his sixth ATP Masters 1000 trophy this week.

However, for all his success at the top of the game, this week’s run in Monte-Carlo is unknown territory for Alcaraz. The Spaniard is making just his second appearance in The Principality, having lost in the opening round to Sebastian Korda in 2022.

“I am still super young and I am going to live new experiences and learn about [them], but I feel like I know how to deal with situations that probably other players don't. It is my second time [playing] here and to be able to play a semi-final for the first time makes me grow up as a player, as a person,” Alcaraz said. “Every match is new, it is different and [I] have to learn from the matches that I'm playing here.”

The Spaniard will face countryman and former finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals on Saturday. Alcaraz revealed that he is close friends with the 25-year-old but will put their relationship to the side when they meet for the second time in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“He invited me to his wedding. He's a friend,” Alcaraz said on Davidovich Fokina. “We have seen each other for a long time already. He used to play with my old brother when they were younger.

"I know him pretty well. I've played against him a few times. Hit with him a lot. So it's going to be interesting. It's not going to be easy, never easy playing against a friend, but this is tennis. Once you step on the court, there are no friends.”

Alcaraz is 18-4 on the season, highlighted by his title run in Rotterdam. If he wins the trophy in Monte-Carlo, he will pass Alexander Zverev for No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday.