Later in the day, Alcaraz eased to a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Rune, and said he was ready to bring “full power” against his idol Nadal in the semifinals, drawing cheers from the crowd.
“The player he is, the legend that he is, it doesn’t matter that he stayed away from tennis for … months, he’s going to come back strong,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to go full, without fear.”
After his on-court interview, Alcaraz was joined by Neymar as his doubles partner in distributing autographed tennis balls. The Brazilian plays for the Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, but looked at home on a tennis court as he grabbed one of Alcaraz’s racquets to hit balls into the stands.
