"When I was serving it out, I had a random song in my head and was just singing it" - Alexander Blockx the most chill guy in Madrid as nerves play no part in magical run

Alexander Blockx had come into this clay swing with low expectations, saying that every win was a 'bonus.' This has not stopped him from reaching the semi-finals of the Madrid Open after knocking out the reigning champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in a tremendous display.

He never let the pressure get to him, showing brilliant mentality and courage on court. He did not let his head drop when set and match points came and went, just plodding along while challenging someone who has not lost in this tournament since 2024.

He had not won a match on clay prior to April. Now, he has backed up a last-16 appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters with a maiden Masters 1000 semi-final in Madrid. Even after the match, he still not had processed this seismic achievement. "No, not really. I mean, in my head it seems kind of normal, but actually it isn’t," he told the Tennis Channel. "It’s not normal to play that well in your first professional clay season, let’s say. I didn’t have a lot of expectations before the clay swing, and I saw every match as a bonus this week. It’s going better every match, so I can’t complain."

A huge factor for his run to this stage has been his immense mindset. From not dewlling on the capabilities of his opponents to withholding great belief within himself to get the job done and compete with the best.

"My mindset was that I’m here for a reason, and I deserve it just as much as he does," he said. "That helps me go into the match with confidence. If I start thinking, 'This guy won here last year, he’s played finals in Grand Slams,' then you’ve kind of already lost before the match. From my point of view, I’m in the quarter-finals for just as much reason as he is, and I think that helps me a lot."

Being 21-years-old and relatively knew to all of this on the ATP Tour, you would think there would be at least some nerves inside. However, none were experienced by Blockx. To be honest, in those moments I’m not nervous at all. I even sing songs in my head," he explained.

I"n the last match against Félix Auger-Aliassime, when I was serving it out, I had a random song in my head and was just singing it. It sounds crazy, but I’m just so confident in my service games that I don’t see a reason to panic or think about getting broken. Even if it gets to 5–5, I’m still in the advantage. At 5–3 I had match points, but he played some great points. So no, I don’t feel nervous at all."

Tennis was not a familiar sport in the Blockx household when growing up. He took up the sport and instantly became a very talented player, albeit there was a lot of improvements needed in his game.

"It wasn’t planned for me to play," he reminisced. "I was just following my brother around in everything he did. I tried tennis, and I immediately hit the ball with my strings, then more and more, and I didn’t miss a lot, as my parents remember. I never stopped since then. It’s quite unusual because no one in my family had anything to do with tennis. At home we had plastic rackets and would just play around. It wasn’t intentional to go into tennis—and here I am now."

While tennis was not on the forefront of their minds at first, he did descend from sporting roots. His mum was a swimmer and dad a track runner. He has utilised their knowledge and taken an abundance of advice from them. "I think they know what it takes to go far—what to sacrifice and what to focus on. When your parents tell you something, you think about it more than if someone else says it. They can give more advice on that specific part."

Unlike Blockx, they do get nervous when they watch their son step onto the court. "Of course they’re nervous, but they don’t travel with me—they watch on TV. Maybe in the future they will travel, but for now it’s fine."

His head coach, Ruben Bemelmans, has beena key figure in the rise of the Belgian. Blockx was in full awe of his coach and the personality he bestowes. "He’s an amazing guy. We’re very similar as people, and that helps with the chemistry on and off the court," he commented. "I feel very calm around him and can really be myself off the court. That’s important when you spend 25 or 30 weeks together. He also sees a lot tennis-wise and gives great tips. We can’t complain about how this month is going—so yeah, it’s amazing."

A semi-final test against Alexander Zverev is next in store for Blockx. The German defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-4 in the second semi-final in Madrid. He will attempt to continue this fine form on the surface, looking to be a worthy competitor to someone as highly regarded as Zverev.

For now, he will wind down and relax after a good day at the office. "The same as the last couple of weeks—get some treatment, get some food, relax in the room, watch some YouTube or Netflix, then go to sleep. It’s the same every day."