Carlos Alcaraz, 18 years old and number eleven in the world, he arrives in Barcelona as a confirmed international figure establishing, or approaching, records of precocity. Champion of Masters 1000 ATP de Miamias well as the ATP 500 of Rio de Janeiroas well as semi-finalist in the Masters 1000 ATP de Indian Wellsfaces his second Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell-Conde de Godó Trophy as a contender for the title.
His defeat does not separate him from this condition, against the American Sebastian Korda, on Wednesday at the Monte Carlo ATP Masters 1000. An anecdote for a kid his age, especially when he was facing the always complicated transition from the hard court to the dirt with hardly any time to adapt.
In his main draw debut at the Godó, in 2021, he could not beat the American Frances Tiafoe. The story has changed a lot since then. “This year I am a more consolidated player, I feel much better, more prepared, with a lot of desire to play here. I come with more options”.
And wanting personal revenge, wanting to improve, after Monte Carlo. “Barcelona is a challenge, a very important tournament to keep picking up pace because the change of surface is difficult, and I already knew that Korda was a very, very difficult rival. Since then I have been able to train a couple of days and today was my first training in Barcelona”. With world number ten, the British Cameron Norrie on Track 3 of the RCT Barcelona-1899.
Carlos Alcaraz, on his first day of training at the Godó speaking with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero
The draw gave rise to a hypothetical duel already in the quarterfinals against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. “I don’t care, I’m a player who sees the first rounds first. We already saw Monte Carlo. All matches are tough, you have to play well. I’m focused on the first round.” What will be on Wednesday against the South Korean Soonwoo Kwon or the French Benoit Pair.
Carlos Alcaraz, with the sports director of Godó, David Ferrer, and his manager, Albert Molina, who was also from ‘Ferru’
It has generated a lot of external noise due to its early hatching. But he takes the Alcaraz phenomenon with caution. And he warns: “I’m not a god who always has to win. I always think that I can lose, that you have to play a great game against all the players. Losing in Monte Carlo was not a drama.”
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He assures that he stays away from the commotion that is created in the media by enlarging his figure. “I don’t pay much attention to it, honestly. I don’t look at everything that talks about me. If they speak well it’s because I’m earning it, I’m doing things well, winning tournaments. Everything that comes with the work I’ve been doing. I don’t know if you do it well or badly, you do a lot or a little. But I don’t lose for this. It’s not like that, don’t worry,” smiles mischievously Alcaraz before the media.
Carlos Alcaraz, before the media in Barcelona
Focused on his own, although grateful because “I feel very supported in every city, every country I go to, people love me. I’m happy about it, in the end it’s very important that the public encourages you, is behind you. First is to be a person and then a player”, he reflects.
Carlos Alcaraz
