Carlos Alcaraz had to fight in the second round of the 2023 Madrid Open but not just his opponent but also his own demons.
Sometimes the biggest enemy of an athlete is themselves. That was maybe a moment that Alcaraz experienced a few times during his match against fellow youngster Emil Ruusuvuori in a match that he eventually managed to win in three sets.
But it wasn't smooth sailing for the 19-year-old Spaniard. At one point, he was down a set and faced multiple break points, and as he admitted after the match, he felt that he was about to lose before staging a spectacular comeback.
The match featured also a moment which is quite rare for the teenage phenomenon. After losing one of the rallies, Alcaraz threw his racquet on the ground, something that we almost never see him do. He got back to it after the match as he explained the moment and called it 'a mental stop'.
"In that game, I remember I was 30-30 and I missed a return on my second serve that I didn't touch and another ball that I didn't touch either. It was a mental stop at a moment that made me throw the racket."
Alcaraz also emphasized that it's not behaviour that he supports and that he also discussed it with his coach, fellow former world no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, as the two Spaniards agreed that it's something that Alcaraz doesn't want to present himself with on the court.
"I don't support that kind of thing, but today it came out, which I regret. I talked about it with Juan Carlos and I know that this kind of thing can't happen. The good thing is that I have rectified and I have continued to be positive, that's what has made me improve."
After his second-round win, the defending champion also spoke about the differences between playing at the ATP 1000 event in Madrid last year and this year. His previous appearance was marked by a sensational run as 'a breakout star', who defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. 12 months later, Alcaraz is considered to be the favourite at the tournament and also the player that will change the sport forever.
"Yeah, it feels different comparing for last year. Yeah, I'm not the young player that is coming up. I'm there. Yeah, it feels a little bit different, more attention, more and more people coming to my match, to my practice. Yeah, it feels different, but at the same time, it feels a bit great."
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