ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS

October 3, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Carlitos, welcome back to Shanghai. Thanks for coming so quickly after winning that incredible final yesterday in Beijing. Just tell us what you did the last few hours after winning.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I couldn't do too much after the final, you know. What I have to do after the final, I went to do press, and I took a shower. I was running, because we had to take the flight to come here, so I just did everything in a rush.

We took the flight, we arrived here in Shanghai super late, so I couldn't sleep as much as I wanted, but, you know, I'm happy to be here in Shanghai, and happy to feel that I'm able to play here in Shanghai once again. I'm really happy about the win and now focusing on Shanghai.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take a few questions.

Q. Congratulations on your win in Beijing yesterday. You obviously have an incredible rivalry with Jannik Sinner, but you also seem to have a great friendship with him as well. I wondered if you could expand a little bit on that, and whether you spend any time off court, say, going to dinner or doing anything else besides tennis.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, we don't talk too much when we are around, obviously. We have a really good relationship off the court as well. I think we both respect each other a lot, as a player, as a person, but once we are on tour traveling, you know, during tournaments when we are on site, we are with our team on our own, so we don't speak too much.

When we can, we talk a little bit besides tennis, about life a little bit, but not too much. We have a good relationship, but we are not close friends, you know, but I think the respect that we have, you know, put us in a position that we have a really good relationship.

Q. Your next opponent is Shang Juncheng, have you known him before, and what kind of preparation are you going to do?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Jerry, right?

Q. Yes.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I played against him just once, it was in the Australian Open. He got injured. After that, I didn't practice with him, I didn't play against him. I watch him, his matches a little bit. I know that he has a really good potential, really good tennis. I'm going to approach the match in the same way that I'm approaching every match. I'm going to prepare as best as I can.

I have two days to get used to these conditions here in Shanghai to be ready for the first match, I hope to keep playing the same way that I'm playing, and let's see what's going to happen, but I'll be ready.

Q. I was just thinking, when you were describing your schedule over the last 12 hours, I know you've been quite vocal about the schedule of tennis in the past, and I just wondered, do you feel you're going to have enough time to recover from, like, that three-hour final last night, to this tournament again today, can you just talk a little bit about, yeah, what your feelings are about that?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I said so many times, the tennis schedule is so tight, but we have to get used to it, or I guess we have to. Yeah, yesterday we finished 8:30, 9:00, three-hours match, and then I had no time to do anything else. I just went to the club before the final with all the bags, because I knew that we had to run after the finals to take the flight to come here.

We arrive at 4:00 a.m., just to be ready or just to have some sleep here in Shanghai, and woke up here in Shanghai, as I said, to get used to the conditions here and try to be ready for my first match.

The tennis schedule is so, so tight. We are traveling, you know, from tournament to tournament, with just one or two days before the tournament begins, so it is difficult, but we have to get used to it.

Q. After your incredible run at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the Olympics, there was a slight dip in the U.S. season, but you seem to have your energy back here in Asia. What's been the difference?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Practice. I had that really good month of practice after the American swing. Of course, the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup helped me a lot to get the energy back, to get motivated again. I love playing teams competition, the Davis Cup with the players, with their team, with the Spanish Federation as well, all the people who are around just to help me to be better, and feeling great off the court as well, that for me is really important. The Laver Cup, same thing.

Those competitions helped me a lot to get the joy back on the court, and, let's say, being focused on what's next. I came here to Asia with a lot of energy, enjoy every single second that I step on the court, and that for me it's really important.

Right now I'm ready for the next tournaments, I really want to play the next tournaments, and have the joy back. So, it was a great month of preparation, hard working with my team, and of course feeling great off the court with everyone, so, for me it was a great time.

Q. How many hours did you actually sleep when you arrived in Shanghai, and can you share the plan for the day in order to prepare for your first round match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I just had six hours of sleep, so I couldn't sleep more. Yeah, now I came here today, I'm going to rest a little bit, I think I need it. Tomorrow I'm going to start practicing, and then Saturday I'm going to try to play my best. Yeah, I will try to get used to, as much as I can, just one practice, one hour, one hour and a half, let's see, but I think I'll be ready. But, yeah, as I said, we have not too much time to practice, to get used to these conditions, but as a tennis player we have to do it.