Carlos Alcaraz Completely Dismisses 'Favorite' Tag After Another Win On Clay
NewsThursday, 17 April 2025 at 12:12
Carlos Alcaraz might be seen as the favorite to win every clay-court tournament that he enters, but he doesn't himself that way.
Alcaraz is currently on a six-match winning streak. All of those wins came on the clay courts, and they include his triumph at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he beat Lorenzo Musetti in the final.
After the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the young Spaniard had to quickly move to his home country, as next for him was the Barcelona Open, which is an ATP 500 tournament.
Alcaraz started well at the Barcelona Open, beating Ethan Quinn, and speaking after the win, he admitted that he was very happy to be in Barcelona, playing in front of his fans.
"It’s a privilege for me to return to Barcelona, which I feel was and is my home. I'm very happy to be able to come here, with the Monte Carlo title, feeling confident and above all feeling fit. I’m ready to compete and to feel the warmth of my people. Playing in Barcelona, in Spain, again is an incredible feeling."
Alcaraz admitted that his win at the Monte-Carlo Masters gave him plenty of confidence. At the same time, he didn't want to call himself a favorite, as he feels like anyone can win.
"I gained a lot of confidence in Monte-Carlo. I wasn’t expecting to win, just to get some time on clay and ending up winning the title gives me a lot of confidence for what is to come. But that’s not the same as seeing myself as the favorite on the clay swing... nowadays there’s a long list of players who can make a splash at every tournament."
"You go to tournaments without knowing who might win, there are always six or seven players who could do it. I don’t know, I wouldn’t say I’m a favorite for the clay swing. I just arrive with expectations as low as possible. The important thing for me is to enjoy myself and, above all, leave the court happy."
The 21-year-old also spoke about his fellow youngsters. At the moment, there are great young players such as Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik, and Joao Fonseca, and the young Spaniard mentioned most of them.
"I think we’re in a very good moment, in the sense that there are a lot of young players capable of winning big titles, fighting for big things. We’ve seen it with Mensik, who’s a player who is going to keep growing but is already established."
"Joao Fonseca is a player I love watching, I think he has unique charisma on court at his age. I played Arthur Fils in Monte Carlo and I came off court amazed at his power, physique and the level he could reach."
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