Carlos Alcaraz needed nearly two and a half hours to win the final in Madrid on Sunday 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against the lucky German loser Jan-Lennard Struff (65th).
How did you experience this final? “There were times when I suffered, when I didn’t have fun at all, at some point things got very complicated… The only thing I I changed, it was to be positive at the start of the third set, there was a moment when the negative won me over a bit… I didn’t change tactics. His game didn’t surprise me, I knew him, I knew he was going to play aggressively, serve and volley, try to attack my serve, I knew all that. I had to be very focused on each of my shots, try not to let him play his game but it was difficult.
Are you going to play the Masters 1000 in Rome next week? “Winning my tenth title, my fourth Masters 1000, retaining the title here in Madrid, being on the verge of reclaiming the world No. 1 spot, these are very big things. . I am very proud of my work, of what I achieve. I am an ambitious boy, and I will go to Rome.”
What does the Madrid tournament mean to you? “Madrid is everything to me. You know I’ve celebrated my last three birthdays here, but actually, since I was little, I’ve celebrated plenty of them here, coming to see the tournament. I didn’t celebrate my birthday like everyone else, with my friends, I came here to enjoy tennis, dreaming of playing it one day. And not just to play there, but to lift the trophy there. So it’s super moving for me, Madrid, it’s a very special place for me, where I remember the little boy of 6, 7, 8 years old who came to see tennis there.
You have an excellent record in the final. How do you explain it? “By my ability to play in the important moments. It is in these moments that I rise, that I bring out my best level, that I do things different from other players. That’s why we say with my team that I’m a finals player.
Everything seems to work for you, at just twenty years old… What’s the catch? “The wounds. You have to try to take care of yourself as much as possible. The mental side, getting tired of winning, traveling or playing tennis, that doesn’t worry me, because I know that won’t happen. The only thing that might worry me in quotes going forward is injuries. The physical, that’s what we will try to pay attention to with my team. Every day, without relaxation. We are going to focus 100% on being physically well, and limiting the small normal discomfort that appears as much as possible.
Comments collected at a press conference.