Carlos Alcaraz, praised by the public, is now ready to defend his title in Buenos Aires

Alcaraz, 20 years old, spoke to the media in the press room set up at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, three days before his debut in the tournament, which will take place next Thursday.

“Last year I came to Buenos Aires because I didn’t have any matches, I hadn’t competed for a while and I needed to play. I loved the tournamentmany Spaniards won here, people are wonderful and what I experienced was incredible for me,” added the tennis player, winner of two Grand Slam titles, the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023.

Alcaraz, visualized as a reference for world tennis in the coming years, he is the main attraction of the Argentina Open and it is noticeable at every step, since people follow him in the stadium and pay a lot of attention to every movement, including the handful of training sessions he took out on the auxiliary fields.

His debut will be on Thursday in the initial round directly in the round of 16 against the winner of the initial round match that will be animated by the Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas (85) and the Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli (134), who emerged from the classification.

“Compared to last year there were changes in the tournament, it improved a lot, the fields are very good, the organization He pays attention to every detail and that is wonderful for us. Furthermore, the public that is very involved in tennis, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it became an ATP 500,” added the Murcian.

Alcaraz, who last year won the Buenos Aires ATP 250 final against the British Cameron Norrie, is considered the successor of the notable Spaniard Rafael Nadal on clay, although for the moment he has won two Grand Slams, one on grass (Wimbledon) and another on cement (the US Open) and could not stay with Roland Garros.

“A Grand Slam is always important, no matter if it is Roland Garros or the Australian Open. Last year I made the semis in Paris, I don’t feel like I should win it or that it’s a thorn in my side, it’s a very nice and special tournament for all Spaniards and getting it would be a dream, but it’s worth like any other Grand Slam,” clarified the Spaniard.

Regarding current events on the circuit, with Djokovic dominant as number one in the world and the Italian Jannik Sinner, recent champion in Australia, on the prowl, the Murcian considered that being fighting at the top with them is an enormous motivation.

“I had a great 2023 from Buenos Aires onwards, many things happened to me and I am very confident. On the circuit Djokovic and Sinner are the rivals to beat, even though they are all tough. There is also Zverev, a rival who usually beats me, but the two of them (Nole and the Italian) are at the top right now,” highlighted the Murcian, winner of a total of 12 titles in his career.

Regarding his projection on the circuit, the Spaniard considered that ambition is his main drive to compete against the best in the world, since he is part of that elite.

“I am very competitive and ambitious, I want to win everything I play, that drives me and makes me face each tournament with great enthusiasm. Seeing Djokovic up there and the rest of the tennis players who are winning is another motivation to fight against them,” Alcaraz explained.

The tennis player trained by a former world number one like the also Spanish Juan Carlos Ferrero (he won Roland Garros in 2003 and the Argentina Open in 2010), finally revealed one of his secrets to remain in the elite of world tennis.

“I didn’t change my training routine much, maybe I corrected or improved some small things off the court which is something very important in everyday life in tennis, I’m talking about rest and nutrition to then perform on the court. Being organized outside prevents injuries on the court,” concluded Alcaraz, who was number one on the planet in December 2022.

Olympic gold or a Grand Slam?

The Spanish Carlos Alcaraz said this Monday in Buenos Aires that he prefers to win the gold medal in Paris 2024 tennis than to win Roland Garros this year.

Alcaraz, second in the world ranking, starts in the Argentina Open his clay season with the obligation to defend the crown he won in the South American tournament in 2023.

““If I have to choose, this year I’d rather win Olympic gold than Roland Garros.”said the champion of the United States Open (2022) and Wimbledon (2023) at a press conference in the Argentine capital.

Upon his arrival in Buenos Aires, the Murcian highlighted his affinity with Buenos Aires.

“I loved this tournament, beyond winning it, because I had been wanting to come to Buenos Aires for a long time. Juan Carlos (Ferrero, his coach) won here “and last year” it was an incredible tournament for me and I wanted to come back this year.”

On the world circuit, Alcaraz He acknowledged that “today (Novak) Djokovic and (Jannik) Sinner are the rivals to beat, there is no doubt.”

Without failing to highlight the value of his rivals, the Spaniard warned: “my current level is very good (…) I come from playing good tennis in Australia and the training days I have had on land have been very good, I feel physically very well and with a very high level of tennis.

In addition, he referred to the possible arrival of Saudi Arabia with important tournaments, and assessed that “it is good that there is more tennis, that the countries where we go and where we play open up a little.”

He also defended his compatriot Rafael Nadal, widely criticized after being appointed ambassador by the Saudi tennis federation.

“It doesn’t seem bad to me (Nadal’s appointment) because it is a country that is developing and opening up to the world of sport and it is good that Rafa is there to add things to tennis, in a place where it was not played.”

Alcaraz’s debut will take place in the second round, against the winner of the clash between the Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas (85) and the Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli (134).