Alcaraz credits mental strength as he downs Rublev to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals

The victory extended his winning streak at the All England Club to 18 matches, though there were times that Rublev had the Spaniard on the ropes with his thrilling big hitting.

Alcaraz hasn't lost at Wimbledon since his match against Jannik Sinner in 2022, and admitted after his win against Rublev that the pace of the courts this year has him feeling better at the venue than ever.

"This year for me is kind of different. It is a different kind of tennis this year at Wimbledon because I think it is a different feeling," said Alcaraz.

"For me, it's a little bit slower, the balls are a little bit slower. It's different kind of feeling. But today I just played my best match so far in the tournament. Just feeling great.

"Obviously, in the French Open, it was totally different because I was playing more matches on clay before the French Open. So right now just trying to get that feeling, the feeling that I'm just really proud and happy that I got today, much better than the previous matches. Hopefully, I can keep it going and feel even more comfortable."

Alcaraz needed to keep a positive mindset as Rublev was firing rockets at him in a brilliantly compelling first set, with the 22-year-old revealing how he convinces himself in such monents that he will prevail even when he is under pressure.

"Tennis is really a mental sport. How you talk to yourself is really, really important through the whole match," he added.

"So I'm just trying to be as positive as I can. Sometimes it is really difficult. A lot of narratives, thoughts come to your mind most of the time because a tennis match could be really long.

"I'm always trying to fill my mind with positive thoughts all the time. Just repeating myself that I can do it, let's go for it, all the things that are really helpful to play your best and not being afraid to play aggressively or to play my A plan.

"That's my conversation with myself, that it's really, really important to fill your mind with positive thoughts."

This win ensured Alcaraz (22 years 56 days) is the youngest player to reach three consecutive quarter-finals at Wimbledon since Rafael Nadal (22 years 20 days, 2006-08).

He is also the youngest player in the Open Era to reach 12 men's singles quarter-finals at Grand Slam events, ahead of Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Rafael Nadal.

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