Carlos Alcaraz is yet to lift the trophy at the Rolex Paris Masters, but the world number 1 believes this year could be the turning point.
After being forced to withdraw from Shanghai and taking more than three weeks off to heal his left ankle, Alcaraz arrives in Paris feeling refreshed – and, by his own admission, in better shape than ever at this stage of the season.
“It is clear that I did not want to withdraw from Shanghai. It is a very important tournament for me and for the players,” Alcaraz said at his pre-tournament press conference in Paris on Saturday. “But I needed to heal my body and I don’t think I was ready to play another tournament in a row. So I preferred to go home and repair the ankle and try to be in good shape for this time of year.”
“I think last year, two years ago, we could see that I’m not new at this time of year. So I really wanted to pay more attention to that, be in good shape, practice well and come here thinking I can get a really good result. So right now I feel good physically. I just practiced well and hit the ball really well.”
Alcaraz has a 5-4 record in Paris, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with his best finish being a quarterfinal in 2022, when he fell to eventual champion Holger Rune. While indoor courts were traditionally a challenge, the 22-year-old Spaniard made his breakthrough earlier this year by winning his first indoor title in Rotterdam.
This week, players have noticed that the speed of the pitch at the new venue – La Défense Arena – has decreased, a change that Alcaraz welcomes.
“This year is completely different from last year. I think it’s a huge difference, which I like,” Alcaraz said with a smile. “The speed of the court is much slower than last year, but I think it’s a very good speed where we can see tennis, not just serve and serve plus one; you can see rallies, you can see points, you can see tennis.
“I’ve often said that I like slower courts, not so fast. This tournament is not my best in terms of results, but I enjoy playing here. I’m not really used to playing indoors, but I think I’m getting more and more used to it year after year. So we’ll see this year. Hopefully [I] going further than previous years.”
Alcaraz opens his campaign against Cameron Norrie or Sebastian Baez and could meet Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. He has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals and is looking to further his pursuit of becoming ATP Year-End No. for the second time. 1, presented by PIF Awards.
Alcaraz is more than 2,000 points ahead of rival Jannik Sinner, who will face Alexander Zverev in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin in the Vienna final on Sunday. Alcaraz and Sinner have met in the finals of the past five tournaments in which they both played.
As for his form indoors, Alcaraz remains realistic but optimistic.
“I wouldn’t say I’m bad [at] play indoors. I think other players indoors are better than me,” Alcaraz added. “It’s a huge difference when I say that. I see myself practicing, playing matches where I can play tennis very well.
“But obviously there are some matches I’ve played against who play indoors much, much better than me. So I have to be ready for that, but I think I’ll get some good tennis on the indoor court.” [courts].”
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