MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 24, 2023

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/F. Bagnis

6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: How did you feel going back to the court which gave you so much success last year?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, is feel well to be back here in Miami, place that I love playing. I love being here. It's really great to playing here again.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said last year this was a very important tournament for you. When you won here, maybe you thought you could win a Grand Slam. A year later, how much have you changed from that person who came to the first round here last year?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, is different to be back here as a defending champion. Yeah, I think when I say that I'm ready to win a Grand Slam, yeah, it was not wrong.

Here I'm going to say the same: So I going to win another Grand Slam. Obviously is great to play here. I would say is no different to play a first round here than last year. I would say the only difference is I play in the center court and last year I was not. It's that difference only.

Q. Do you think you have changed as a person?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I grew up a lot since last year. It has been a great year for me as a player, as a person as well. But, yeah, I learn a lot of things, not only on court, even off the court, as well.

Q. Do you approach this tournament this year as the defending champion or as a completely new event totally?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: As a new event. I try not to think about the defending champion. I'm trying not to think about I won last year.

I always say the same when I come into a tournament: for me is a new tournament. It's day by day, round by round, try to play my best in every day, try to enjoying in every match, as well.

That's the only goal and only thoughts on my mind in every match.

Q. I'm wondering what the experience of winning the US Open, triumphing in a best-of-five tournament, taught you. Do you think the physical effort, playing very late into the night at the US Open, was that very much connected to the subsequent injury issues that you had afterwards?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: So say again. I didn't...

Q. US Open, it was a massive physical effort for you to win in best-of-five. You were playing till very late in the night. Looking back, do you think that contributed to your physical problems that caused you to miss the Australian Open?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I would say no. It didn't affect me in my physical problem. It was long time from US Open and, yeah, my first injury that was in Paris. I recovered really fast and really well.

It didn't affect me at all into my physical problem. I would say just bad luck. Probably didn't take care about everything off the court. But it didn't affect in the US Open.

Q. We spoke to Andy Murray this week about you. He said he likes the way you play very free. In his career, he said he could do that when he was 18 or 19. When he got older, it got harder because he had more thoughts in his head. Do you think this could happen?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Probably. Probably. I have to take advantage about it. I'm young. Well, I'm agree with what he said. I'm young. I'm not taking care about anything else but playing and enjoy on court. That's the only thing.

Probably when you're older, you think more. I have to -- well, that's it.

Q. In your essay for Eurosport, like you said a minute ago, you had to change some things to make yourself safer from getting injuries. Can you say any more, what you had to change? Does it mean that you have to be in bed at 9:00 every night, you can't have a drink with your friends or things like that?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, I said that I have to take care about myself a little bit more off the court, taking care about go early to bed, to resting better, eat well, taking care of myself off the court. That's the most important thing for me.

I would say I didn't do as better as I wanted to do that. But after the injury in January, I started to do better the things off the court.