Carlos Alcaraz has made himself a worldwide fan favorite with his electrifying brand of tennis. However, he says his ability to win matches when he is not at his best has been significant this year.
Alcaraz will play his first tournament since the Olympics at the Cincinnati Open. He was the runner-up at the event last year after losing an epic final to Novak Djokovic in a deciding set tiebreak.
Understandably, the Spaniard decided not to play at last week's Canadian Open after his efforts at the Olympics. He won a silver medal at the games but missed out on a gold medal to Djokovic after losing two sets on tiebreaks.
Alcaraz also played doubles at the Olympics with Rafael Nadal. The 21-year-old shared the key lessons he learned from playing with Nadal, even though the pair lost in the quarterfinal against Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
The four-time Grand Slam champion's focus now turns to preparing for the US Open in Cincinnati. Alcaraz hopes to steal the No. 1 ranking from Jannik Sinner with a strong end to the season since the Italian has more points to defend than Alcaraz.
However, the season still has a long way to go. Alcaraz will have to manage some inevitable ups and downs in the final few months of the year, including periods when he is not producing his best tennis.
The good news for Alcaraz fans is winning when he is not at his best is something the Spaniard has done well this year. Alcaraz spoke about that improvement at a press conference in Cincinnati, feeling he has won most of his matches this year without playing great tennis.
"I've been playing great tennis, but probably most of the matches I won, I won them without playing great tennis, or I felt like I didn't play great tennis. So the way I approach every match, I stay there strong mentally in some situations, I'm really, really happy about that."
Winning while not always playing blistering tennis is something Alcaraz has learned quickly. He lost some matches in the second half of last season, in particular, when he fell away when not at his best, but that has changed in recent months.
Alcaraz elaborated further on the issue at his press conference. The two-time Wimbledon winner remembers situations this year where he felt he was struggling but did not panic. Instead, Alcaraz continued with a positive attitude and came through those challenges.
"I'm happy about the way that I handled some situations, that I stayed there, even knowing that I didn't play, or I wasn't playing great tennis. But I played with a positive attitude, with the right face always and trying to find solutions in some moments that I could do it. I'm really happy about it."
The Spaniard is loved worldwide for his exciting brand of tennis. Fans also love his positive attitude, as he is one of the few players who smiles on the court. That mindset might help him work through some difficult moments during his matches when he is not at his best.