Carlos Alcaraz: "I want to avoid the pressure of being a champion and go out and enjoy"

“I like coming to Barcelona, ​​it's a place where I love to play.

I have very good memories, not only for being a champion but also when I played as a child.

It is a different tournament where my family also comes and I am going to think about everything except that I have to defend the title”, said a smiling Carlos Alcaraz this Saturday in the press room of the Reial Club de Tenis Barcelona (RCTB), where the tournament will be held. , from Monday to Sunday of next week, the 70th edition of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, known as Conde de Godó.

The man from Palmar, number two in the world, arrives in the Catalan capital without having been able to compete these days in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 due to back discomfort and post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand, derived from the intense North American tour on cement .

The Murcian conquered Indian Wells and later reached the semifinals in Miami, in which he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in an intense three-hour duel.

Just physically, he then prioritized preserving the physique.

More information

Nadal and Alcaraz resign from Monte Carlo

In any case, Alcaraz (19 years old) has already shot on clay this season.

In fact, before playing the American tournaments, he undertook the course on the clay of Buenos Aires (champion) and that of Rio de Janeiro (semifinalist).

The good results allowed him to regain the throne of the circuit to the detriment of Novak Djokovic, although the Serbian (35 years old) overtook him again after the defeat of the Spaniard in Florida.

Eager to continue applying pressure, the man from El Palmar landed on the RCTB slopes this Friday and began training with Casper Ruud and Denis Shapolalov.

"I've done very well.

In the end, I need to pick up the rhythm of the competition and play points, and with these players it suits me very well.

There are still a few days left to prepare, but for now the sensations are good", says Alcaraz, who feels more mature compared to last year: "In that sense I have improved, I read better what is happening on the track and I can change things if something it goes wrong, that's the difference”.

Welcome, Carlitos 👊🏻@carlosalcaraz |

@ATPTour_ES |#BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/YXqZfWcDp3

— Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (@bcnopenbs) April 14, 2023

The final draw, drawn this Saturday, projected a hypothetical final between him and Tsitsipas, a match that was already experienced last year in the quarterfinals;

then sparks flew between the two and Alcaraz won in three sets.

In turn, the theoretical layout of the tournament also holds the possibility that he could find himself in the outcome on the 23rd with the Italian Jannik Sinner, the tennis player with whom he is destined to mark an era on the circuit and with whom he has a close tie. 3-3.

“The rivalry we have is very nice, even more so when we get along so well off the track.

We are both still very young, we have played in big tournaments, we have had great matches and we have fought for beautiful things.

Every time we play it's so much fun to watch.

I hope to have a great rivalry with Sinner, just like Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have had", says the defending champion, whose favorite surface is concrete, but who does not disdain clay at all, on which he has won five of the eight trophies he has achieved so far in the ATP.

Four of the top 10

“It's like being in a battle, and that's what I like.

Each point is a battle and you have to play more tactical”, says Alcaraz, protagonist of a special edition for Godó.

He will be the 70th and, finally, he will not be able to count on Rafael Nadal, who is still not ready after three months in the infirmary.

On Friday, the 12-time tournament winner announced his withdrawal, trusting that developments will allow him to return to competition in two weeks, in Madrid.

"I am still not ready and, therefore, I continue my preparation process for the return to competition."

“With everything that Rafa has achieved in Barcelona, ​​it is a shame not to have him here and not to enjoy his tennis.

I wish him a speedy recovery so that we can continue enjoying him”, says Alcaraz, who heads a poster from which the Russian Daniil Medvedev has also fallen at the last minute, but who has plenty of incentives;

in fact, four of the 10 best players on the circuit are part of the list, which will include Feliciano López for the last time.

The 41-year-old from Toledo, making his debut in 1998, at just 16 years old, bids farewell to Godó with a record 22 appearances.

The absence of Nadal and the resignation of Medvedev –29 wins and only 3 losses this season– a priori pave the way for Alcaraz, who, however, is not at all confident and will try to offer his best version in Barcelona, ​​before Madrid , Rome and Roland Garros.

“They are big absences, but I don't feel like a favorite for it.

Each game is different and all the players can beat you perfectly.

I want to avoid the pressure and go out and enjoy.

I have to play focused every day and at my best level”, the Murcian continued, while the Pedralbes club dressed up and tickets sold out to see him.

Alcaraz, during the press conference this Saturday.

Alberto Estevez (EFE)

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