Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Paris with very few matches on clay, but his stellar start in the French capital put worries aside.
Clay is a very specific surface on which players need some time to really get into a rhythm. They have to figure out movement and timing, which are quite different from other surfaces.
It's not easy to just roll out of bed and dominate on clay without any practice. Alcaraz dealt with an injury for much of this clay season, which basically meant that he arrived in Paris with very few matches under his belt.
He didn't think it would be a huge issue ahead of the event, and it certainly proved that way so far. He's been playing really well so far at the 2024 Roland Garros, and he spoke about that after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime.
For Alcaraz, the most important thing is believing in himself, and that's never been a problem.
"I think the most important thing is for me to believe in myself. It doesn’t matter if I don’t have too many matches on my back or that I didn’t come with a lot of rhythm. I just believe in myself with my team. We put really good work every day before coming here and every day here at Roland Garros."
"After every practice and every match I was getting better and better. Here on Philippe Chatrier it’s easy to play. The history this court has and this tournament has it is better to play and get to your 100%. It’s a mix of both."
He's really been playing well so far this week, and what's even better is that he is improving with every match. That's bad news for Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom Alcaraz will face next.
It's going to be a tough match for the Spaniard, but he's never lost against the Greek player, and he believes in himself.
0 Comments