AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 9, 2021

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/B. Van de Zandschlup

6-1, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to play and win your first main draw match at a Grand Slam at 17 years old?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I'm very happy to this win today in my first Grand Slam, my first win on a Grand Slam.

Well, I try to enjoy, to enjoy, to play my game. Yeah, I think I did it. I enjoyed. I got the experience. Yeah, I excited to play my second round.

Q. Were you nervous at all last night? Could you sleep okay? What did it feel like walking onto the court today?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yesterday I feel relax, feel normal. Yeah, I sleep very well.

This morning, I wake up a little bit nervous. Yeah, before the match, well, I warm up. I be nervous, but I played the first game and second game like not very relax, but then I play very good. I felt really, really good.

Yeah, I think was good.

Q. Obviously expectations are very high for your career. You've already been compared to Rafael Nadal. How difficult is it to have to live up to expectations at such a young age?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: So I try to be focus on me, not on the social media, to play my game, play in front of my team, to my team, to me, my family. I try to, yeah, to be a part of the social media and don't hear the comparison with Rafa. Yeah, I try to do this.

Q. Winning the first set 6-1, did you feel it couldn't have gone any better, that gave you a lot of confidence?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I played very good first set. I think he missed a lot of balls. Yeah, try to be focus all the time. Yeah, I think was a very good first set.

The second set was very, very tough, no? He played a really good game in the second set. Yeah, I try to be relax in the tough moments. I think I could do this. Yeah, was really good.

Q. What did it mean to you to train with Rafa leading into this tournament? Pablo was there today. To have the support of the senior Spanish players, what does that mean for you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, Pablo Carreno Busta is like a brother here. I have someone who can help me here, so he can help me. Yeah, it's mean a lot to me that Pablo can see my match, yeah, support me here with my team. I think it's really good.

Q. What is your experience with five-set tennis? How many times have you played five sets?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: This was my first time, my first time played best-of-five. Well, I played three sets. Hope to don't play a fifth match -- a fifth set (smiling).

Q. What would be the one thing that you would take from Rafa, professionally, off court? What's the one piece of advice you learned from him?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Sorry?

Q. What is the one piece of advice you would take from Rafael Nadal?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I think with the intensity he train, no? He train with a lot of intensity all the time. He hit the ball very hard. Each ball, he try to hit harder every ball.

I think he's focus from the first ball, from the first ball to the last ball. I think it is a good thing to keep it, yeah.