Alcaraz challenges Berrettini inspired by Ferrero

Carlos Alcaraz aims high and his rivals already see him as a dangerous adversary. In the ATP 500 in Vienna, the 18-year-old from Murcia continues to show his tremendous punch and in the second round he finished off Andy Murray, former world number one. He digested defeat in Indian Wells and took revenge in the Austrian capital. “That was the first time I played with him. I had seen him play millions of times, but it is not the same to have him in front of. I got nervous and it caught me a little bit by surprise ”.

The current 42nd in the world, who has 25 victories on the ATP Tour 2021 (for one in 2020), will face this Friday (14:00, Movistar Deportes) Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals against whom he will seek his second win against a Top-10, after beating Greek Tsitsipas at the US Open. “I know him, and I have trained with him. And I have seen him play many times. It will be a very tough game for me “Alcaraz acknowledges about the duel with the Italian.

The Spaniard, who will play the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (November 9-13) among the eight best tennis players under 22 years of age, acknowledges that Vienna is a perfect fit for him: “I prefer fast tracks like these, they help my style of play which is so aggressive all the time”. Elements that combine to perfection, like the person who guides his steps, Juan Carlos Ferrero: “He is a great coach for me. In these tournaments that I play for the first time, he tells me how to compete, how to treat my nerves, how to play events in this category. I have learned a lot from him ”, praises Carlos to the Valencian.

Berrettini is the next stumbling block. If he wins, Alcaraz will face on Saturday the winner of the Auger-Aliassime vs Zverev.