BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 12, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/F. Marozsan

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Carlos.

Q. Well played today. Last time we talked you said confidence was not about winning and losing; it's about feeling, how you feel the ball and feet around the court. Was it pretty perfect today for you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, let's say almost perfect. I always say I can be better, can play better. But really happy with the way that I approach the match, the way that I played, and my feelings.

You know, I think I moved well. I controlled very well the timing of the match. In the toughest points, toughest moments, breakpoints down, breakpoints up, I managed very well that timing. Yeah, my confidence is getting higher (smiling).

Q. Slightly outside of tennis, in your previous press conference, you spoke about negative comments and how it might affect you in general. Mostly the things are positive. I just want to ask you how social media and media in general would impact the mentality of players like yourself.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think it has a really important impact to the players, to the athletes. You know, there are a lot of players who, let's say, don't think about it or don't affect in a bad way the negative comments, but there are a lot of players who, well, affect very, very, let's say, bad, you know, the bad comments, you know.

I'm trying not to think about it. I'm trying not to see 100% the comments, but I think it's something that we are not going to hide from that.

There are a lot of people who are going to comment good things, bad things, when we are not in the position to control it. But we have to deal in the best way as we can, and that's something that I'm trying to do.

Q. Carlos, what would make a perfect match for you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, no mistakes and almost every point winner (smiling).

No, but I'm kidding. Let's say as less mistakes as you can. You know, not missing every breakpoint up, for example. A high percentage of first serve. I'm gonna say that could be a perfect match.

Q. There is a new tennis video game coming out. You're one of the characters. I was wondering what it's like to be in a video game and if you've gotten a chance to play as yourself or any other characters.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it's fun (smiling). Of course, I have played a lot of video games, you know, during my childhood. Right now I'm still playing video games.

Being in one of them is funny. It's funny for me. I always played with a lot of characters, a lot of players, and be able to play with myself is going to be funny for me, so I'm really excited about it.

Yeah, I really want to play with myself (smiling).

Q. Ninth consecutive win for you here. You've played really well here over the years. Just wondering if there's a comfort level you have here versus maybe some of the other tournaments. I don't know.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think the conditions here suits very well to my game. I feel really comfortable in this court, in this tournament. I feel really well. Not only on the court, off the court as well. I think it's really important for the players to feel relaxed, to feel calm or feeling really well, you know, off the court. Turn off your mind a little bit, not think about tennis 100% of the time.

Here there are -- well, not a lot of things -- but things we can do off the court. For me, it relax me very, very well. For me it's playing golf. I can do it here very well and too much.

I love playing these courts I think all these years -- well, over these years. The last three years I have been playing great tennis here. Yeah, I think, yeah, in this tournament gave me an extra motivation and extra confident.

Q. Do you approach this event and this hard court differently? Because the players always say that it's not like many other hard courts anywhere around the world. The conditions are very different.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, honestly, I don't approach this tournament different to other tournaments.

I try to adapt my game as better as I can to this tournament, but I don't find this tournament different to others. In fact, the conditions or the court or whatever. Obviously this tournament is very special for me. I really want to do a very good result here. But in terms of, I don't know, nerves or conditions or whatever, I don't approach different way.