"You can't play tennis this way" - Carlos Alcaraz's performance against Stefanos Tsitsipas leaves Mats Wilander speechless

Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning display of tennis against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2023 French Open quarterfinals left three-time Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander stunned.

Alcaraz advanced to the semifinal by defeating the Greek 6-2, 6-1, 7-6(5) on Tuesday, June 6. The young Spaniard looked untouchable in the encounter, where he was broken just once by Tsitsipas - and that too late in the third set.

Carlos Alcaraz fired stunning shot after stunning shot, alternating powerful forehand winners with feather-touch drop shots. His dominance left Tsitsipas struggling to get a foothold in the match.

Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander witnessed the masterclass courtside and described the atmosphere inside Philippe-Chatrier as one of a rock concert. The Swede also admitted Alcaraz’s performance left him speechless, which he called a rare feat.

"I feel like I'm at a Rolling Stones concert, nobody wants to go home!" said the Swede. "Everybody's just hanging around, it's an amazing atmosphere.”

"Sitting watching him live, it's absolutely incredible,” he added. "I'm not speechless often, but you can't play tennis this way, you really can't."

Wilander also said Alcaraz’s power and brilliance were so good that they were almost disrespectful to the game itself.

“He plays normal tennis, then suddenly he comes from nowhere, and he runs around and smacks the forehand so hard - it's nearly a lack of respect for the game itself,” said Wilander.

---

"I really wanted to play this match” - Carlos Alcaraz on facing Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz talks about facing Novak Djokovic

With his quarterfinal victory, Carlos Alcaraz has set up a mouth-watering semifinal clash against Novak Djokovic. In his post-match interview, the young Spaniard admitted he had hoped to face the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

"This match is one everyone wanted to watch. I would say it's going to be a really good match to play and to watch as well," said Alcaraz. "I really wanted to play this match as well. I always say that if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.”

Alcaraz called Djokovic “one of the best” and admitted it would be a tough challenge for him, before asserting that he was looking forward to it.

“Novak Djokovic right now is one of the best players in the world, so it's going to be a really tough challenge for me. But I'm really looking forward to that match, playing such a great level,” he said.

This will be the first meeting between the two in the 2023 season. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 1-0, having beaten the Serb in the Madrid Masters semi-finals last year.

The outcome of the semifinal match will also determine who the World No. 1 will be in the ATP rankings after the French Open ends.