Carlos Alcaraz has carved through his first four rounds at the US Open, thus setting up a quarter-final clash with Jiri Lehecka.
A rematch of the Queen’s Club Championships final from earlier this year, it promises to be a hard-hitting affair between two in-form individuals.
However, one has certainly enjoyed a better year than the other, with the Spaniard currently enjoying a seven-tournament run where he has reached at least reached the final.
It’s mesmeric and unprecedented form that makes him the favourite for any match he plays in, and with that in mind, Lehecka was asked how he’s feeling about having to play Alcaraz, a player who seems unstoppable at present.
Then, in his press conference, Carlos Alcaraz would seek to dispel one rumour he’s heard about himself ahead of his next US Open match too.
Carlos Alcaraz on finding consistency at Grand Slams
Asked by a reporter how he feels about having reached the quarter-final or better in 11 of his last 16 Grand Slams, he naturally cut an upbeat figure.
After all, over the years, this superstar has been accused of lacking the consistency that his generational rival Jannik Sinner has been lauded for; perhaps an unfair complaint given how his 2025 season has gone.
In response to that absurd notion, he replied: “Yeah, probably a lot of people have talked about that I am not as consistent as I should be, but at the same time, yeah, those stats are really great to know for me, just to see that, you know, that I’m making really good results in the really good tournaments.
“Obviously, I’m sometimes really hard with myself, the quarter-final is not a semi-final, it’s not enough sometimes, but you have to see more than the results.
“I have to see if I played well. And realise that a semi-final or a quarter-final in a Grand Slam is a pretty good result.
“But, yeah, and I’ve been talking a lot about, I should be better, you know, consistency, playing much better. The matches, or whatever. So I think that’s why a lot of people have talked about it as well.”
Questions about Carlos Alcaraz’s consistency are ridiculous
As he put it rather politely, questions over Alcaraz’s consistency are ludicrous. Especially after this year.
After all, in the aforementioned run that extends back to March, the five-time Grand Slam champion has reached the final or better in seven straight tournaments.
This started in Monte-Carlo, where he beat Lorenzo Musetti in the final, before then losing to Holger Rune in the final in Barcelona.
Opting not to play Madrid due to injury, Alcaraz then halted Sinner’s fairytale return to action by brushing him aside in the Italian Open final, before repeating that feat at Roland Garros as well.
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He would follow that up by winning the Queen’s title again, but Sinner got his revenge in the Wimbledon final, ending his five-match losing streak to his great rival.
However, Alcaraz got right back to winning ways, with the Italian forced to retire in the Cincinnati Open final, thus gifting the Spaniard yet another crown ahead of the US Open.