MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 28, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/T. Seyboth Wild

6-3, 6-3

(Questions in Spanish.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You said that Jannik is the best player in the world a few days ago. Do you still see him as a favorite, or with you and Nadal going up, you will give him a fight?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, he's not used to play here in Madrid. I think last year he miss it. I think he didn't play in this tournament since 2022, and he didn't play so much here in Madrid.

So I don't know how it's gonna be, his game, with the altitude, but his first round was impressive. Yeah, of course, I see him as a favorite player to win every tournament he goes.

I'll try to play my best tennis. I'll try to don't let him winning more titles (smiling), but it is difficult right now. But, you know, if Jannik is still play at this level, as I said, he's the favorite in every tournament he goes.

Q. Growing up playing tennis on clay, what does the surface kind of teach you, and what do you learn from it in your game that you wouldn't learn from other surfaces?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, you learn different things playing in one surface or the other. I grew up playing on clay court, and probably my shots suit pretty well on clay. But if I play on grass, if I play on hard court, I adapt my game, my style, my shots to that surface.

Probably if you see or you watch my matches or my tennis, it doesn't look like I specialist in clay court. You know, I want to go to the net, hitting big shots not with a lot of topspin, let's say, but I'm feeling really comfortable, you know, playing on clay. So I don't know what growing up playing on clay court teach to my game.

Q. I understand that you talked about your arm in Spanish. Can you just repeat in English how you feel with your arm, how you feel with your shape?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think I'm in a good shape right now. I'm not feeling anything in the forearm, and I played good tennis.

Obviously I'm not hitting my forehand on my 100%, let's say, or in the way that I used to hitting, you know, before feeling something in the forearm, but I'm just focused to hitting the forehand as much relaxed as I can and going, you know, in front, let's say.

I'm really happy with the things that I'm doing in the forearm. I'm really happy to be competitive without pain, but I'm still focused every day in that.