ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS

October 10, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

T. MACHAC/C. Alcaraz

7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: First of all, Carlos, I know this is not the result you wanted for tonight, but overall, in Beijing you won the title, in Shanghai you were in the quarterfinals, you are back to world No. 2. How would you summarize your three weeks in China?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it has been a really good swing. I mean, obviously lifting the trophy in Beijing was a great thing to achieve. Coming here, I went farther than last year, so it was a good point.

I mean, I'm a little bit disappointed about today's losing, or loss, but I really wanted to go farther, to play against Jannik in the semi-final, but that's tennis, I guess, and we'll have to just accept it. Generally, I love China, and proud of my performance here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Sorry for your loss today. We all heard the breaking news of Rafa before the match. I want to know, what's your first reaction when you heard the news, and do you think it affects your performance tonight?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it was, honestly, I couldn't believe it when I watch it. You know, it doesn't affect me at all before the match. I didn't get distracted at all, I was just really focused on the match, I didn't think about Rafa's news.

But obviously when I watch it, it was tough to accept it. I was in shock a little bit. Thanks that I saw it like one hour before the match, so I had time to accept it and forget it a little bit before the match.

It is a really difficult thing, really difficult news for everybody, and even tougher for me. He has been my idol since I start playing tennis. I look up to him. Proudly, thanks to him, I really wanted to become professional tennis player. Losing him, in a certain way, is going to be difficult for us, so I will try to enjoy as much as I can when he's going to play.

But we are going to play in Saudi Arabia, and then Davis Cup, so I'm going to try to enjoy as much as I can the time with him, but, yeah, it is a shame for tennis and for me.

Q. I just wondered if you could, like that match just now, what do you think was the deciding factor in Machac's win?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: In the match? Well, I feel like I was playing against a top-5 player, not even top 10, no, top 5, his level, it was so high. I thought that he was going to give me an opportunity, a window, but he didn't. I mean, since the first game until the last one, his level was so high. His ball speed, it was unbelievable.

So, I feel good. Honestly, I felt good on the court, I feel really well the ball, I was hitting well, I was moving well. But, honestly, at some point, I didn't know what to do. Honestly, it was one of those matches that it was insane that I couldn't play to his forehand. I mean, every time that he was hitting his forehand it was a winner, or the next ball is going to, he was going to hit a winner again. It was unbelievable, it was crazy for me.

He was pushing me to the limit all the time that I was thinking that I had to put the right ball in the right place all the time. If not, I was going to run everywhere, or he was going to make a winner. So I think that that's pressure that he puts me in myself, that was the key in the match.

Q. Could you maybe talk a little bit about your plans for the rest of the year.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, right now I'm going to play the exhibition in Saudi Arabia. I'm going to go there, I'm going to try to play good tennis, and forget today I lose.

Yeah, then the Masters 1000 in Paris, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup, that's my plan right now. I have to be really, really focused on the next tournaments. I really want to go farther and get a good result to get as much points as I can, you know, to be closer to Jannik, but, yeah, my plan is those tournaments.