The Spanish tennis player, who recovered the world number 1 in Indian Wells, assures that for him “it is a new tournament”
“It’s rare that I pay attention to whether the players are in the top ten or the top hundred,” he admits.
The Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, number one in the world, assured this Friday that he tries “not to think” that he is defending the title in the Masters 1,000 in Miami and that for him “it is a new tournament”, after beating the Argentine Facundo Bagnis in his debut. “When I won here I said I wanted to win a ‘Grand Slam’, and I wasn’t wrong. I want to win another, but playing here is no different. The only difference is that now I’m going on center court and not last year,” said the Murcian at a press conference.
The track at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami is faster than the one he played a few days ago in Indian Wells, something that benefits him. “These are different conditions, it’s what a player has to get used to, the change in conditions, it’s what differentiates the good ones from the greatest. It’s good for me that the track is that fast,” he said.
He also expressed his joy at returning to Miami, where last year he won the first Masters 1,000 of his career. “It’s great to be back in Miami, I love being here, playing here and it’s fantastic to do it again. Since then it’s been a great year for me as a player and as a person. I’ve learned a lot on the track and also off it,” he said. . “I took the Monday off after winning in Indian Wells, I was traveling. I took the opportunity to go to the NBA, take a walk with my team and be with them, with my family and my friends. On the days when I don’t I’m on the track, I’m a normal guy,” he added. “I like being at home surrounded by my loved ones and I behave in a very natural way. I’m not artificial at all, I don’t say what people want to hear, I behave naturally, that’s not going to change,” he concluded.
And when it comes to talking about tennis, he focuses more on him than on his rivals: “I stay away from the numbers, I didn’t know anything about the statistics, it’s rare that I pay attention to whether the players are in the top ten or in the the top hundred. I don’t even know where to look at it. I just think about showing my level, enjoying myself and having a good time. If I manage to do that, my best level comes out and that energy that I give off”.
Regarding the speed with which he dispatched his rival in his debut, a match that barely lasted 64 minutes, he highlighted the importance of gaining recovery time: “It’s always good to spend as little time as possible on the court. Physically and mentally it’s less exhausting facing the next round, but as I have always said, you never know what can happen on a tennis court and you have to try to be at your best level”.
He closed his speech by analyzing how he has grown over the years and his different way of interpreting victories and defeats. “When I was little, victories and defeats were very important to me, and many times I got frustrated and did not enjoy the track. I would tell that Carlitos to enjoy it and not take it so seriously. Enjoy the journey, the process “, said
Alcaraz got rid of the Argentine Facundo Bagnis without great trouble with a resounding 6-0 and 6-2, in his debut in the second round of the Miami Open. His next rival will come out of the confrontation between the Serbian Dusan Lajovic and the American Maxime Cressy and it will be this coming Sunday, March 26. Against Lajovic he is guaranteed three victories in two games, while against the North American, this would be his first duel on the circuit.