Carlos Alcaraz confessed that he needed to let his “anger” out during his tricky match at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The world No. 3 came back from a break down in the final set, winning the last five games in a row to beat Arthur Fils 4-6 7-5 6-3 in Friday’s quarter-final.

There were some rare moments of frustration for Alcaraz, who screamed when losing a point early in set two. Afterwards, the Spaniard opened up on his frustrations and shared what his dad told him after the rollercoaster match.

Alcaraz is through to the semi-final in Monte-Carlo for the first time in his career. But he struggled to get there, winning what he branded “one of the most difficult matches that I’ve played this year.”

The four-time Major winner was in trouble after losing the first set. Fils continued to cause all sorts of problems but Alcaraz saved all seven break points he faced in the second set to force a decider, where he stormed back from a break down.

The 21-year-old let his frustrations show at times during the match and later admitted that he needed to vent to his team, including his secondary coach Samuel Lopez, who is with him in Monaco this week.

“I’m a person who needs just to talk, you know, with someone that I trust, you know, when I have difficult situations, difficult moments,” the second seed in Monaco said.

“The anger that I have inside, I have to put it out in some way, and I think there is not a best way to do it if I’m not talking to Samuel. I think seeing the match from outside, it’s always a better view that he can give me some advice, what I have to do or what I have to show to the opponent.

“So, yeah, I need that talk to him, to my team, just to put it out all the anger that I have. Obviously sometimes I need advising, because sometimes I don’t know how to or what I have to do on the match.”

Alcaraz wasn’t the only one who suffered during the match. The world No. 3 confessed that he needed to get into winning positions sooner so he could protect the health of his team and his father, who made a hilarious comment after the quarter-final contest.

“I think for my health and my team’s health, it is important to play the best points a little bit earlier. You know, probably a few times my team and my dad told me that probably he’s gonna get a heart attack sometimes,” he smiled.

“I think that real champions find the right level, you know, when it’s needed. Obviously I would love to play such a high level of my best tennis from the beginning until the last ball.

“But I think in tennis we play in two hours, two hours and a half, so it is the most difficult things to do in tennis to maintain your best tennis during two hours and a half.

“So when it’s needed, it’s great to find the good tennis. But, you know, in the whole match, I would love to play a good tennis, but sometimes I’m playing against an opponent who play better, and you have to accept it and run and fight.

“I just played a good second set, but we both didn’t have chances until the end of the set. So that means that we were playing great tennis, both of us, in the service game, but yeah, I think the real champions find the good tennis in the tough moments.”

Alcaraz will be hoping to find that good tennis in the semi-final as he faces good friend and countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who is a former finalist here.