AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/S. Juncheng

6-1, 6-1, 1-0 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Carlitos. Did you feel that something was wrong in Jerry's game today?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I think so. I mean, from the beginning of the match I realized that he wasn't ready, he wasn't at his level that he was playing the beginning of the year. I had to be focused on myself. I planned a good match from my side. I think I did it pretty well, but obviously he didn't play at his best.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Now you've played with Jerry. You know him a little bit more. What's your comments like? And if you were him, could you give him some advice or tips in order to help him further progress in tennis?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, as I said, I would love to play a better match against him. I think he didn't play at his best, but I could see he hit the ball so easily. He's a really good ball striker. I think he's a really good player. I'm sure that we are going to play more than once in big moments, big stage as well.

An advice I could give him is don't be in a rush right now, to see the doctor or whatever he has, and recover well, don't be in a rush to come back.

That's all I can say to him, that he has a really big team and professional team behind him.

Q. How it's feeling, Carlos, at this stage of the tournament between 1 and 10 and why? How are you feeling at the moment?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I'm feeling great. Probably 7, 8. It's a high note. But that's how I feel.

I don't know. I think I'm improving every day. Every match that I'm playing, I'm feeling better and better. Moving, hitting the ball, and, of course, I'm getting used to this court as well. I didn't play so much in this court. I think everything is good.

I taking good things from the court, from the level that I'm playing. Hopefully it's going to be better and better.

Q. Carlos, after you won Wimbledon last year, there was a bit of a drop-off in your form. Perhaps you lost a few games you expected to win. Obviously you're playing great tennis again, which is great to see. I'm just wondering if one of your goals this season is to maintain that consistency for the full 12 months? And is there anything you're doing differently to I guess manage your body and your workload?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, that's a goal obviously to maintain my level during the whole season. Yeah, as you said, probably after Wimbledon I lost few games that I had not to lose, but obviously this is tennis, everything can happen. But, yeah, I fell in that side.

I don't focus any different things. I'm just focused to do the right things, probably the good things that I did last year, and improve the things that I did wrong.

But obviously in this part of the year I hope to do it well. I hope to do it as same as 2023. The second part of the year is to maintain my good level and see how it's going to be.

Q. At home you are the big brother. You have younger siblings. But in tennis you've been the young sensation, the youngest to do many, many things. But today you had an opponent who was much younger than you. Obviously before you went on the court, you didn't know his condition. I'm just wondering how you prepared for it mentally and if it required a different mindset?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, not different mindset. I prepared this match in the same way that every match. Obviously I knew that this match was his first time in Rod Laver or first time in such a big stage. I wanted to take that as an advantage for me. I tried to put pressure on his game in every volley, in every point, playing with no nerves, let's say.

But I didn't do anything different preparing into this match.

Q. After two hard matches, was this the sort of match that was a relief to you, especially because you're playing Kecmanovic next? I remember watching in Miami I think last year you had an absolute war with him. So did this day help? What do you remember from that battle with Kecmanovic?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, nobody wants to move on like this, but obviously in a Grand Slam if you want to do good results, these kind of matches, it's less hours that you are on court is better to your body, to everything, to recover into the next match.

I know that Kecmanovic had a few games to five sets, so I think it's going to be better for me coming into the match. But I remember that match in 2022 in Miami. He played an unbelievable game. Myself as well.

I think it's going to be the same war. He has beaten big guys here in this tournament, so I have to be prepared to do war again. Hopefully to take in three sets, but no, nobody knows.

I play my best level if I want to move on, so let's see how it's going to be.