Alcaraz and his moment of panic with Nadal at Roland Garros: “I didn’t realize”

Carlos Alcaraz will be the first favorite to debut in this edition of Roland Garros. He will do it this Sunday against JJ Wolf, 25 years old and world number 107.

The American, who has not won any ATP titles and played only one final on the circuit, on an indoor hard court in Florence, He entered the tournament as a knockout after losing in the final round of the qualifying phase.

Undoubtedly, an affordable rival for the Murcian, who is on the verge of losing the jackpot in the draw held on Saturday. And it was that In the part of the draw where Rafa Nadal came out he could only face the number 3 or 4 seed. That is, either Alexander Zverev or him, something that did not please him.

“I don’t want to deal with it right away. I was watching the draw live, but I didn’t realize that there were 50% choices, I saw it later on social networks. I want to play against him in Paris, but not in the first round. When I saw that I was not facing him, I said to myself ‘thank goodness’. Eventually? I wish“The man from Murcia confessed in a press conference, that he arrived in Paris with doubts about his physical condition, after being reduced to Madrid and deprived by Roma, problems that he wanted to put into perspective by sending a message of trust.

“I’m getting better, I hit the ball without pain“, he assured, adding: “This tournament is important, so I feel better, a week ago I decided to come. “Training here has gone well, so everything is on track.”

Alcaraz admits he still feels nervous when he hits his forehandexactly the problem he said he felt in Madrid, but since he was not sick, he minimized it.

“I was better, which helps to try not to think about it, I hit harder, with more intensity on the right than in Madrid. But I still think about it when I get hitI have to work on it in practice. But things are going well on and off the court with the arm. “I have to trust the work of my team,” he said.

The Spaniard assured that his recovery has been evolutionary and that it is increasing in intensity.

The world number 3 admitted that he will arrive at Roland Garros with fewer matches than he would have liked. on clay, but said that, unlike other tennis players, he doesn’t need a lot of practice to find his best level.

“I’m training well, I’m gaining confidence and I don’t need matches to be one hundred percent.. After this week here I will be ready for a first fight at the highest level,” said the Spaniard, who still does not know his first rival, who will appear before.

As he did in Madrid, Alcaraz made sure that he needed to gain excellence and do not look too much for spectacularity in the game, although it should be sought “without losing the essence.”

“You don’t have to lose the essence, it’s yours. My essence is to try to do different things, impress people, do things that are not normally seen. Something I don’t want to lose. Without losing that, I have to learn something else, that would be perfect,” he said.

Semifinalist of the last edition, when he fell against Serbian Novak Djokovic, who ended up lifting the trophy, The Spaniard believes that this Roland Garros will be more open, with no clear favouriteand considered positive.

“The good thing about tennis today is that there is a wide range of players who can win you a tournament. You watch games without knowing what’s going to happen. That’s nicedon’t know who will win, who will enter the final,” he said.

But he listed four favorites, including Rafa Nadal“which is always there”, but also his first round rival, the German Alexander Zverev.

To them he added Jannik Sinner, number 2 – “even if he comes from an injury, I see he has the ability to win,” he said – and number 1, Djokovic. “I don’t have a clear favorite to win the tournament, there’s a wide range,” he insisted.