Carlos Alcaraz started his 2024 Madrid Open campaign with an impressive win, but he still does not feel 100% comfortable.
Alcaraz has been dealing with an arm issue leading up to the Madrid Open. He was forced to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters after injuring himself there, as well as the Barcelona Open, which was very painful for him.
His participation in the Madrid Open was also in question, but he did play his first-round match in the end. He played really well, crushing Alexander Shevchenko in two sets, but after the match, Alcaraz admitted that he wasn't feeling 100% comfortable in spite of the win.
That's not what fans want to hear, but he really didn't look that impacted on the court, losing only three games in the process.
"Coming into this week I’ve been doing good things in practice, getting harder let’s say, but today I’m not feeling comfortable playing my forehand 100%. I think playing at this level, I’m really happy to do it and I think I can [still] be competitive."
The forehand seemed to work fine, but the backhand was really impressive. He was crushing the cross-court backhand, which Shevchenko never grew comfortable with.
His own backhand couldn't withstand the power of it, which was quite impressive to see. He did admit that he practiced it, which is good to see and may prove to be valuable for him in the future. The forehand is deadly, but it doesn't have to be the only weapon.
"The last month I just practised slices, volleys and backhands so I think it worked pretty well today. That’s something that I was thinking about approaching this match, trying to hit the forehand really softer and trying to be aggressive with the backhand and trying to get to the net as soon as possible and I think I did a really good match in that part."
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