Stefanos Tsitsipas: "Carlos Alcaraz is one of the biggest obstacles and challenges for any player right now"

Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking forward to the challenge of facing Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 French Open.

Tsitsipas breezed past Sebastian Ofner in the Round of 16 on Sunday, June 4. He lost the serve only once en route to a comfortable 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win in one hour and 48 minutes.

The Greek player hit 27 winners with just 12 unforced errors and has not lost a set in Paris since his first-round win against Jiri Vesely. Next up for him is a quarterfinal clash with the World No. 1.

At the post-match press conference, Tsitsipas praised the 'hyper and energetic' Alcaraz and stated that he'll need to be at his best against the Spaniard.

"I need to play good tennis. You know, Carlos is someone that keeps the intensity high at all times. He's someone that is not going to give you gaps where his attention is not there. He's very hyper. He's very energetic, and you can see that on the court," he said.

"He adds a lot of that into the rallies, into his just rituals when he is out there playing the game. He has a lot of that when he plays. I think it has helped him a lot. Of course he has that smile that he said obviously helps him a lot," he added.

Tsitsipas further said that Alcaraz was one of the toughest players to face on the tour and stated that he's looking forward to testing himself against the 20-year-old.

"Right now he's one of the biggest obstacles and challenges for any player to compete against. It pushes us all to be better. Rivalries like this, they are kind of, they are the toughest thing you can get in our sport. Getting to play him as much as possible will eventually give you more chances perhaps to beat him, if that makes sense. You know, I'm looking for those chances myself," he opined.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas: A look at their head-to-head record

Carlos Alcaraz beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the 2023 Barcelona Open.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz and fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas are set to lock horns in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash at the French Open on Tuesday, June 6.

Alcaraz has looked close to his best in Paris this year, losing only one set (against Taro Daniel) so far. He beat the likes of Flavio Cobolli, Taro Daniel, Denis Shapovalov, and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the last eight.

Tsitsipas has also dropped just one set at Roland Garros this year, in the opening round against Jiri Vesely. He has gotten past the likes of Vesely, Robert Carballes Baena, Diego Schwartzman, and Sebastian Ofner to make it to the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz has won all four of his meetings with Tsitsipas so far. They first met in the Round of 32 at the 2021 US Open, where Alcaraz won in five sets 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5). They then met again in the Round of 16 at the Miami Open the following year, where the World No. 1 emerged victorious 7-5, 6-3.

The two clashed in Barcelona in 2022 and 2023, with Alcaraz winning on both occasions en route to title wins.