Carlos Alcaraz Arrives in Paris Feeling Fresh And Convinced He Is Back To His Best
Carlos Alcaraz heads into the Paris Masters feeling fresh after his victory in Vienna, convinced he has recovered his best level following the wrist injury that kept him off the courts for four months
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz said on Monday that after his long injury absence this season he is approaching the end of the season "with freshness," which after his victory in Vienna runs through the Paris Masters 1.000, one of the tournaments where he has had his worst results in his career.
"Right now I feel very good. After a spell on the sidelines, small physical issues always come up, which is normal, but they don't worry me. I'm focused on continuing to improve and happy to reach this part of the season in good physical and mental shape. I take that as a positive, the fact that I'm going to try to take advantage of arriving fresher," said the Spaniard, who will make his debut on Wednesday against the winner of the match between American Alex Michelsen and Czech Jiri Lehecka.
The recovery and the return to top level
The world No. 3 says he has recovered his best form after the wrist injury that, following his Australian Open triumph, kept him away from the courts for four months, during which he missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon. At the US Open, he reached the quarterfinals.
"It has been a long recovery process. With so much time, you think a lot and sometimes I thought I would never get back to my best level, I doubted whether I could be back at one hundred percent. But when you surround yourself with fantastic professionals it is easier to recover, and now, after the victory in Vienna, I am convinced I am back at my best level," he said.
In Vienna he claimed his fourth title of the season, although none so far at a Masters 1.000, where his best result was the Monte Carlo final he lost to Italy's Jannik Sinner.
The Paris challenge and the lesson from Bercy
In Paris he hopes to claim his first and become the third tennis player since 1990 to string together five consecutive seasons winning at least one Masters 1.000, alongside Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The No. 2 seed, who has won five matches in a row after lifting the title in Vienna, is aiming to conquer a tournament where his best result was the 2022 quarterfinals, when he had to retire against Denmark's Holger Rune.
"I wouldn't know how to explain why I haven't had good results here. I think I've played good tennis some years and lost in the first round, and it's true that other times I haven't been at one hundred percent. I know that at some point I will have good results here, sooner or later," he said.
He carries a special scar from his time on the indoor court in Paris in 2021, when in front of a crowd fervently supporting France's Hugo Gaston, on the old Bercy court, he was eliminated in tears.
"I don't have a good memory of that match, but seen from a distance it was an important moment for my career. For the first time I felt outside pressure and I learned a lesson: you shouldn't pay attention to the crowd, you have to focus on yourself, on your tennis, and not let the rest affect you. I learned a lot from that match," he said. EFE
