LONDON : Being broken twice in a testing encounter would not be everyone’s idea of a confidence booster but Carlo Alcaraz could only see the positives of being pushed out of his comfort zone by Nicolas Jarry at Wimbledon on Saturday.
Chilean Jarry stole a set and threatened to snatch another before the world number one moved into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3 7-5 victory on Centre Court.
It was far from a vintage performance from Alcaraz, but the U.S. Open champion escaped any serious damage and got more of a feel for Wimbledon’s prime showcourt in his bid for a maiden title at the grasscourt Grand Slam.
“This match made me a lot of confidence honestly. Every match that I win on Centre Court is better for me to get into this court, this atmosphere,” he told reporters.
“As I said, last year it was really tough for me to play first match in the Centre Court. Every match that I didn’t play on that court, I feel, as I said, that I belong to that court.”
The 20-year-old Spaniard, who became the youngest world number one in history after winning the U.S. Open title last year, has an acute sense of the sport’s history and revelled in following in the footsteps of the game’s greats at Wimbledon.
“I watched a lot of videos, a lot of matches from legends playing on that beautiful court,” he said.
“Knowing that I’m going to be in the history, in the books, playing on that court for me is something I will never forget.”
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