Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz rode home support to the Barcelona title on Sunday and knows fans will accept nothing less than a victory at this week’s Madrid Open. The world No. 2, however, he is happy to shoulder the expectations.
The 19-year-old, who also won at Buenos Aires and Indian Wells this season and is keen to put another marker down on clay ahead of the French Open next month, says he thrives on the atmosphere of the home crowds in the Spanish capital.
“I don’t take it as pressure, actually the complete opposite. For me it’s motivation,” Alcaraz said on Tuesday.
“It’s a pleasure to see so many people, I like playing in front of such big crowds, and even more so in Spain. It’s a really big motivation.”
Alcaraz will aim to become only the second player after Rafael Nadal to successfully defend the title in Madrid, but failure to do so will not bring him down.
“Every tournament we go to, we think we can win it and we’re going to try and win it. But if we don’t, it’s not a failure for me,” Alcaraz said.
“Leaving a tournament thinking I have failed would have more to do with the level of my tennis or my attitude, that’s the most important thing for me. If I do well mentally and I play well, I don’t take it as a failure.”
Confident Tsitsipas
World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas said his run to the final in Barcelona had served as a reminder of what it felt like to be a strong contender at a tournament again and left him full of confidence heading into the Madrid Open.
Tsitsipas said he had a lot of matches on clay under his belt and he considered himself a “candidate” in Madrid.
“The run I had in Barcelona brought me joy because after the Australian Open I didn’t go deep in tournaments,” he said. “Now things are looking pretty bright.”
Tsitsipas could come up against Alcaraz in the final and the Greek said it was difficult to match the world No. 2’s focus and dedication to the sport.
“In order to get there I’d have to spend hours on the court practising and hours in my room analysing my past performances,” he added.
