Carlos Alcaraz has begun its defense of the tournament title with victory Indian Wells, the first Masters 1,000 of the year. The Spanish tennis player has defeated in his debut on American territory Matteo Arnaldi, who took the first set from him in the tie break. Alcaraz, however, later easily came back in the duel. (6-7, 6-0, 6-1).
The Spanish tennis player's main doubt was in his ankle, with which he arrived with discomfort. Alcaraz has recognized that I was “a little nervous” for this reason: «It was my first game playing at high intensity. There were many things coming to mind. “I couldn't be one hundred percent focused.” Carlos has further explained that he is still recovering from that injury and that he “was thinking about it all the time.”
It is worth remembering that Carlos Alcaraz reappeared last Sunday, but he did so in the exhibition against Rafa Nadal in Las Vegas. That duel was not official and was more of a media show that Netflix broadcast live.
As he was nervous, Alcaraz has specified that this caused him “at some points to move differently or with less energy.” However, “in the second and third sets it was totally different” since “I stayed or moved away, I tried to be myself with a lot of energy, hitting good shots, moving well.”
«I think my game came out when my energy was so high. I tried to do it at the beginning of the second set and I think it turned out pretty well. It helped me stay at a good level, with high intensity throughout the match,” Carlos Alcaraz continued to say after this debut in Indian Wells.
Carlos Alcaraz was “nervous”
At a press conference, the Murcian tennis player explained that he did not “realize” the way he had to face the first set: “I was a little surprised by the conditions. It is different to play during the day than to play in the night session. I have been training every day during the day. “With the sun and the heat, the bounces are completely different, the ball goes different and it cost me everything in that first quarter.”
On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz has acknowledged that he arrives at Indian Wells, where he won last year, with less preparation than last season: «Last year I came here with more games and with more rhythm, now I am recovering from an ankle injury. That's why now I don't come with too many games.”
Despite these discomforts, which are what made him “nervous” at this premiere before Matteo Arnaldi, the Murcian, has explained that “andI'm improving and I feel very good, although I think I have to get the right rhythm step by step. “That's the big difference between last year and this year.”
Premiere with victory
On a sporting level, Carlos Alcaraz's debut match in Indian Wells had two completely opposite sides. The first, drawn in a first set of maximum equality, brought from the number two in the ATP ranking too many unforced backhand errors, and although also positive outbreaks, not decisive enough to win the sleeve, which was going to stop, by surprise, into Arnaldi's pocket.
The other two sets of the match show the optimistic side with Carlos, renewed and spurred after losing the first set and demonstrating why he is the current champion of the tournament.