Carlos Alcaraz has opened up on playing through difficult moments after reaching the third round of the Cincinnati Open. The young Spaniard breezed past Hamad Medjedovic in straight sets to ensure his progression at the tournament. He converted three of seven break points on his way to a straightforward 6-4 6-4 victory.
It saw Alcaraz win his 50th match of the year, with the 22-year-old having enjoyed a stellar run of form over the last eight months. He has already clinched five titles including the French Open and will be hoping to make it six by winning the Cincinnati Open. He managed to beat Medjedovic in challenging conditions with the relentless heat causing problems for several players.
After his latest victory, Alcaraz was quizzed on how he keeps winning even when he is ‘not feeling great’ before matches.
“I always say that the season is really long, playing a lot of matches, playing a lot of tournaments,” he said. “More than half of the matches we play, you don’t feel that good. You have to think positive and just play your best tennis possible that day.
“I’m really happy that in really difficult matches I’m able to play my best tennis even though I’m not feeling the right way. I’m just happy and proud about it because it’s something I’m working on.”
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Medjedovic was treated for neck pain after the opening set but piled on the pressure in the second, out-hitting Alcaraz with 25 winners to his opponent’s 16. However, the young Serbian was undone by his 38 unforced errors.
“I know he’s a really powerful player,” continued Alcaraz. “His shots are incredibly hard to return. He has a big serve also. I know he doesn’t like to run too much from side to side, so my plan was to make him run as much as I could.”
Alcaraz will face Luca Nardi in his next match and will be hoping for a similar result as he eyes a place in the quarter-finals.
He has emerged as the dominant force of men’s tennis alongside Jannik Sinner but was recently urged not to get too comfortable with Daniil Medvedev offering some words of wisdom.
“Jannik and Carlos are playing amazing, they are the top two at the moment and they are playing better than everyone else, but never underestimate a third guy who is going to come and challenge them,” said the Russian.
“I remember Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal]. When Rafa was 20, 21, he had already won two or three Roland Garros titles.
“They were talking about this time when he won Wimbledon for the first time and it was his first Grand Slam outside of Roland Garros.
“Then at this point, when everyone thought they were going to share all the Grand Slams, there was this one Serbian guy who came a little bit later and won more than them.”