Carlos Alcaraz reaches Olympics singles semis, becomes youngest since Djokovic

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has reached the Olympics singles semifinals and has become the youngest to reach the last four at the Games since Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard defeated USA’s Tommy Paul of the U.S. 6-3, 7-6 (7) at Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday.

Earlier in the season, the youngster clinched the Roland Garros and Wimbledon. However, the 21-year-old admitted he doesn’t feel invincible while playing at the Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I had a really great two weeks in Roland Garros — playing great tennis here, feeling great moving, feeling great hitting the ball. So (I came) here having the same feeling,” said Alcaraz, 21, of Spain. “But I can lose against everybody. I have to respect every player.”

The four-time Slam champion added he has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Canadian Masters to manage his workload.

“It has been a very long season for me and due to the accumulation of matches and fatigue, I will not be able to play in Montreal this year,” Alcaraz said in a Tennis Canada statement. “I was really looking forward to coming back to Canada and enjoying the love of the fans. Hope to see everyone in Montreal in the years to come!”

Alcaraz will take on Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime in the semifinals. Tommy Paul picked the Spaniard as a favorite against the Canadian.

“It’s been a while since Alcaraz lost a match here,” Paul said, “so I would say that he’s probably the favorite, right?”

“It’s not a secret that, right now,” Paul said, “Alcaraz is kind of like the golden standard.”

Alcaraz has a 3-3 record against Auger Aliassime. In French Open 2024, the Spaniard bested the Canadian in straight sets to win by 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.