Alcaraz: “I watch videos of Federer and Murray to improve on grass”

Carlos Alcarazwho won on Tuesday in his debut at Queen’s, made sure he puts in videos of Roger Federer and Andy Murray to improve his performance on grass.

The Spaniard defeated Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), in a two and a half hour match, to add his fifth victory on this surface and advance to the second round of Queen’s.

“It was the first grass game of the season and it was difficult at the beginning. Weed is not easy. During the match I thought it was going to be better, that I was feeling better. I need it, hours on the track, playing as much as I can. For me, it’s good to have a difficult match”, explained the Murcian in a press conference.

“My expectations for this tournament are not very high”acknowledged Alcaraz, who had never won a match on grass outside of Wimbledon. “I’ve played two grass tournaments in my career, I’ve only played seven games. I haven’t played much here. I need to play more, spend more time on the court, get more experience. My expected to win this tournament is not very high”, he pointed out.

With his ability to win games even when he’s not playing well, Alcaraz said he’s learning how to do it.

“We play a lot of games, a lot of tournaments throughout the year and you’re not going to play at the highest level in all of them. There’s a high percentage of games where you’re not going to be comfortable. And as Rafa (Nadal) said, those matches should be taken out. I’m learning to get it, play poorly, but be mentally fit to pull it off. I don’t play at a high level right now, but it’s also on the surface. Pulling it off gives you a lot of confidence,” he stressed.

One of the keys to improving on the most treacherous surface on the circuit, in addition to playing more games, is to copy the best.

“That helps a lot. I always say that on grass you have to move well and everything else comes from there. Speaking for myself, I want to put videos of Federer, of Murray, who are among the players who move the best on grass. I won’t talk about Djokovic because he slides like dirt and that won’t be my case. It’s not how they hit, because everyone has their own style, but to see how they move, and try to imitate,” he explained.

If he wins the tournament, Alcaraz will become the fourth Spaniard to win at Queen’s, after Andrés Gimeno, Rafael Nadal and Feliciano López.

“I want to see my name among the winners of the most historic tournament. This tournament is so emblematic that I want to see my name as a winner,” he said.