CHINA OPEN

October 2, 2023

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/C. Ruud

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: How does it feel to play in the Lotus Court?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: It was great. Honestly it's an amazing court. I felt great on that court. I didn't feel the difference at all. Probably I even like more, honestly. It was great.

Knowing that Rafa won his gold medal in that court is even more special for me. But honestly I really like it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You seemed to improve and improve as the match progressed. Can you talk about the kind of confidence that you were feeling towards the end of that match.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I have a lot of confidence right now honestly. Be able to win these kind of matches the way I did give you an extra confidence in your game coming into the next matches.

Obviously has been really tough match that I had to find solutions. At the beginning of the match, I had to increase my level a little bit. But has been a really good battles, good rallies, high quality of tennis.

Is something that I am trying to put on, trying to not go down, just stay at the high level during the whole match, don't let him coming back into the match again, try to take the opportunities that he brings to me. That's all I trying in every match. I think today I did pretty well.

Q. This is the first time you played not at the Diamond Court. Is there any difference?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, about the surface, I didn't feel a difference at all. For me the speed from the ball, it was the same. Only difference that I felt is about the stadium. Obviously the Diamond Court is bigger than the Lotus one. You feel the people is closer to you. It's something that I like.

But about the surface, I didn't feel the difference.

Q. The last qualifying is still going on. Jannik won the first set. Can you talk about your semifinals, your rivalries with Jannik.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, he has to win. Closing the match is really, really tough. But I think that match is the match that everybody wants to see, my match against Jannik.

We've played great, great matches in big situations. Every time that we face each other has been a really high quality of tennis. The level that we play, we put on the court, is amazing. I think everybody enjoyed these matches.

I'm really looking for that if he wins. But he playing against Dimitrov, that he's playing great as well. I don't know. I'm going to watch the rest of the match and let's see against who I going to play.

If it's against Grigor or Jannik, it's going to be a really tough semifinal.

Q. Almost all the kids in the juniors say their favorite player is you. Can you say a few words for them?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I'm really happy to know that obviously the juniors, the young people, have me like they idol. It's something crazy for me. When I see that the juniors here, reminds me when I was junior. It's a great memory.

Obviously they have the opportunity to learn from the best tennis players so closely. I think that's something that it's going to help them a lot to increase the level and improve the things on the court and off the court as well. It's really, really important.

To have the opportunity to share some things with the pros when I was little kid, it help me a lot coming into juniors or coming into futures, challengers. It help me a lot.

Something that I want to say to them? To take the opportunities to improve and learn from the best tennis players.

Q. At the very beginning of the match your opponent played well. What kind of change did you make?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: At the beginning of the match has been really close. I had opportunities to break his serve at the first game. I didn't change nothing at all. I just stayed there waiting for my opportunities that I knew that it was going to happen, and try to take them.

I know that stay at this level of play is really, really tough. I knew that he was going to get down a little bit. I just tried to take the opportunities that he brings to me in the fourth game, if I'm not wrong.

That's all I did. I stayed there. I didn't change nothing at all.