Carlos Alcaraz plays with fire but laughs it off in the end

He is still not the best Alcaraz. Carlos takes risks (a lot), loses the first set against an excellent Arthur Fils, sticks with his heart to the match and finally wins it. Without shining, but giving important indications of a growth that seems destined to continue.

“Tough match – explains the Spaniard – in which I was not one point away from defeat but I didn…t even go that far… Arthur hits the ball very hard and physically he is one of the most prepared on the Tour. I did not play my best tennis but I still played well. He in some moments made mistakes that allowed me to stay in the match, but it was one of the toughest matches of the season. Happy to have brought it home”.

But is it true that Alcaraz’s best tennis is seen in the moments when the Spaniard is on the verge of falling? “I know, that is often the case, although I would like to play my best points a little bit’ earlier. And I know I risk giving my staff a heart attack (laughs, ed.). In tennis, however, we play long matches and it is not possible to stay at the same level all the time for two hours or two and a half hours. When there&#8217s a need, it&#8217s good to find one&#8217s best performance, after all, that&#8217s what champions do. But you also have to accept that others play better than you, it is important to fight like I did this time”.