"More than once I felt like applauding or telling him bravo," Rinderknech in awe of Alcaraz after his US Open round of 16 defeat

Arthur Rinderknech surrendered to Carlos Alcaraz in three sets (7-6, 6-3, 6-4) despite putting up a strong fight.

Achieving his best Grand Slam result, the Frenchman leaves New York with a positive mindset and the satisfaction of having troubled one of the world's best players, as he had done at Roland-Garros against Jannik Sinner:

"At the moment, they have that little something extra. In crucial moments, they don't falter—they become even stronger, even faster. Obviously, the gap is very, very high against these two players. Like at Roland, I'm not losing 1, 1, and 2.

I'm in tie-breaks, I'm in the closing stages of sets—it's not far off. Here and there, I feel like I have a small chance to break, but these guys don't leave much room. It makes you want to keep challenging yourself to get closer or to push them even more.

I'm passionate about tennis, and I can only feel fulfilled having played the world number one and number two in two of the last three Grand Slams, on the main courts. Yes, I'm admiring. More than once I felt like applauding or telling him bravo.

When he pulled that shot behind my back early in the match, thankfully it was 40-0 because if it had been a break point for me, I would've gone to strangle him (smiles). It's impressive! It's absolute rigor, very physical, very technical, and on top of that, very talented. They are the best tennis players right now, and we're lucky to have them," shared the 30-year-old player with L'Équipe.