“I have finished physically and mentally exhausted”
MADRID, 28 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz confessed that his debut at the Mutua Madrid Open left him “physically and mentally exhausted” after coming back (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) against Finn Emil Ruusuvuori this Friday, a match he had to win “as it was”.
“I think my grandfather’s motto has been more present than ever. It was clear to me that we had to be there, give him the three ‘c’ at all times. We have done it impeccably,” he said at a press conference, referring to the “head, heart and balls’.
The first seed in the fourth Masters 1,000 of the season confessed that he did not lack faith although he saw elimination close until he saved five ‘break’ balls in the sixth game of the second set. “A lot of things happen to you in your head, but I was thinking all the time about going for them, saving the ‘break’ balls. I wasn’t having a good ‘feeling’ from the bottom,” he said.
“I had to be focused on the serve and put second balls to dominate. I’ve been thinking all the time that I was going to have my opportunity. By saving that game he has given me the option in the next one and we have chained a quite good dynamic”, he added .
On the other hand, Alcaraz explained how he adapted to what the meeting was asking for. “You have to know what’s happening in the game. I’m aggressive, but Emil was playing at a pace that didn’t allow me to play my game, he had to be changed somehow. He was failing a lot and we had to get into the game. I adapt to the circumstances”, he said, confessing an important change in the tension of the racket in search of solutions.
“Getting the game off without playing brilliantly gives you the confidence to think that by not playing so well I can fight the game. It calms me down for the next games. I’m a little tired. It’s been complicated. There was a time when I didn’t know what to do, no I was able to see the way I could hurt Emil. I ended up exhausted physically and mentally,” he added.
The Murcian spoke more about the delicate moments on the court and his unusual anger throwing the racket to the ground in the second set. “Many times you can’t enjoy or play at your best level and you have to accept it. You have to find a way. The third set I already played my game a little more. I had to take the game as it was,” he confessed.
“It has been a mental stop that has made me throw away the racket. I do not support this type of thing, I regretted it, it cannot happen. I have realized, I have rectified and I have continued to be positive, it is what has made me improve”, he added .
Lastly, Alcaraz thanked Manolo Santana for his support. “The crowd has been brilliant, they have shown why it is the most beautiful place to play. It was super special to experience what I have experienced today, obviously Madrid is one of the places I like to play the most without a doubt. Without them I would not have been able to win the game “, term.