Alcaraz: “I’m not thinking of hiring anyone”

Carlos Alcaraznumber two in the world and advanced to the final of the Rio de Janeiro Open this Saturday after defeating the Chilean Nicolás Jarry, He says he doesn’t mind taking on any of the world’s current idol tennis players and just think about delivering happiness.

Alcaraz, who will play in the final of South America’s only ATP 500 tournament on Sunday, a week after winning the Argentina Open title, ruled out that he is preparing to be the successor to the three tennis players who have dominated and dominated the circuit in recent years: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“I don’t think about being anyone’s relief or being the player people want to see after the Big 3. I just want to be who I am. and continue doing what I do, bringing happiness to tennis, which is the way I am and I will not change it,” said the current US Open champion in a press conference.

“I don’t know if I’m ready or not (to take over as a new world idol). I only go to tournaments to transmit good vibes. I think I send that through my way of being, through my way of playing. I think people want to see that on the tennis court: joy and incredible shots. And that’s the way I play,” he added.

The 19-year-old from Murcia was knocked out of top spot in Djokovic’s ATP rankings due to an injury that kept him out of tournaments at the start of the year, but has since returned to the circuit two weeks ago , he won. the Open title in Argentina on Sunday and reached the final in Rio de Janeiro.

If he wins in Brazil, he will add the same number of points as Djokovic in the ATP international rankings. but he will continue to come in second for having fewer Grand Slams titles, something he says he is not obsessed with.

“I really don’t think so. Of course it’s a goal (to be number one again) but I don’t put that pressure on myself to say that I have to win the tournament to continue to advance and get closer to Novak. I’m trying to show a good level every day and if I continue with this dynamic, I’ll get closer but it’s not something I think about every day,” he said.

Regarding his rival in Sunday’s final, British Cameron Norrie, 13th in the world and second favorite in Brazil, recalled that he had already beaten him on Sunday in the final of the Argentina Open.

“In Buenos Aires I won in two sets. I never thought I would do anything different. I will do the same. I think he’s going to go out and do something different, which is something I’ll have to discuss with my coach. I will try to do the same thing I did in Buenos Aires and we will see what happens,” he said.

As for Jarry, whom he defeated 6-7 (2), 7-5 and 6-0 in a grueling match in the nearly three-hour semifinals where he had to come back, he said he was surprised by his power. .

“I was impressed by his great style. The truth is he has incredible shooting power, an amazing serve, an incredible forehand and a very good backhand. In the end he has enough shots to overwhelm any player and it is very difficult to compete with him,” he said.

He insisted the Chilean was at the top of the rankings before having to serve an eleven-month suspension for doping and now that he’s back, he’s proving he’s at a high level.

“Today he showed how good his style is, how good a player he is, how dangerous he is. Soon we will have a war in the big tournaments,” he said.

Alcaraz removed the discomfort he felt in the second sleeve and where he had to undergo a massage this is something serious.

“It’s one of the discomforts that we tennis players live with. In the end, I didn’t stop a day for 14 days and that lasts. But nothing more than usual. We are tennis players and we have a very demanding calendar, very difficult matches every day and eventually the discomfort starts to appear. But it’s something we learn to live with. It’s not that it’s wrong (that he asked for a massage) but he wants to avoid serious problems,” he concluded.