ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

October 28, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Carlitos, welcome back to Paris. How have you gone so far? How many practices? How do you find the courts?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I had just a practice here, one in the center court and then in the practice court. So I felt a little bit difference between those two. Really, really fast. Honestly, I didn't expect that fast, but yeah, I think I'm ready for tomorrow's match. I think I'm playing great. Have a lot of confidence. So excited to start the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Carlos, you didn't have much success here in the last few years. How do you explain it? Is it the place, the surface? You said it was faster now. Is it good for you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah. I haven't played good tennis here in this tournament. Probably at the end of the year, I have been tired, or yeah, as I said last year, I had to understand that the season is still going after September.

And I think I did prepare really well this year. So I don't know, you know. The calendar is super tight, super demanding, as well. So coming to the last tournament of the year, probably I have been tired the last year, didn't play as well as I wanted, but coming to this year, I think I'm feeling different.

I know what I have to do. I have been doing great work lately. So I think I'm ready to do good results or at least go farther than last year, that I think is not really difficult.

Q. Carlos, what did you change from last year in order to not be too tired this time?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, just understand that the season keep going. You know, after the long swings, or at least for me, you know, for example, the last swing, I have been away from home for one month and a half, I knew that the season is still going, I have important tournaments ahead, that I really want to go far and play good tennis.

So, you know, the main reason, the most important thing that I have to think is to understand that, you know, the goals about, you know, the end of the year. I want to finish, you know, second in the ranking. That means that I have to play good tennis and be fresh mentally, you know, to do good results in the last tournaments.

Q. This year you won two slams. You have beaten Jannik Sinner three times. But in the race, you are more than 3,000 points back of Jannik. Being more consistent is your goal for next year?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, for sure. I mean, doesn't matter that I have beaten Jannik three times. Probably I didn't play good tennis in some tournaments. You know, my percentage of win this year is really, really high, but Jannik is another level this year (smiling), so over the 91% of wins this year. So just few players have done this before.

But yeah, I mean, I think every players are looking for being more consistently during the year. You know, in every tournament that you're going to play, you want to go far or as farther as you can. That's my goal the next year. You know, in the tournaments that I didn't play well or I didn't go as far as I wanted, just try to do it.

You know, I will try to not lose in the first rounds that probably this year I have lost in the first rounds.

Q. You played Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Beijing, I think. You saw he won yesterday Basel. The question is very simple: Do you think he has the best serve on the tour?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Without doubt. Yeah, I mean, the way he serves is unbelievable. I saw the stats in the final. The average of the first serve, it was 235, and the second serve it was 215. So that's the average (smiling).

That's crazy. Yeah, I played against him recently, was totally different conditions. Obviously the court was slower, so I could return his serves few times, you know, in the games that I broke his serve.

So it was difficult, because, you know, from the baseline he has big shots, as well. Really good forehand, good volleys. You know, he can be solid from the baseline. So I think he just have to win in Basel and probably is a player who is going to be there for a long time.

Q. Jannik Sinner said in an interview last week that he went to the 6 Kings Slam not for money, that his motivations were different. What was your motivation when you went to Saudi Arabia last week?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, if I say (smiling), I mean, I went there just for fun or to play and forget the money, I'm gonna lie. That's obviously -- I mean, every person work for that, as well. You know, that's how life is about.

You know, I love playing tennis. You know, most of the time I don't think about the money. I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to earn money, you know, and that's it.

You know, in Arabia is the most highest prize money ever in the history, so that was a good motivation, at least for me.