US OPEN

August 30, 2022

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/S. Baez

7-5, 7-5, 2-0 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Your thoughts on the first round for yourself? Interesting match.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I'm really happy to get through. I mean, he was really, really tough match with horrible end, but, I mean, it was really tough conditions, very humidity. The heat was pretty tough, so I'm just really happy with the level and be able to play the second round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you are playing in conditions like this, is it more of an endurance, stamina thing than being as crisp as you can on your shots? Does that play into it?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, honestly, it surprise myself. I mean, the conditions, I didn't thought that it's gonna be -- it was going to be really, really tough. But you have to handle the moment, you know, to be aggressive, to, I mean, trying to sort the points, you know.

Yeah, you have to be really, really focused on your shots, on the points, and the moments. You have to, I mean, let's say, to be more aggressive or not.

Like I say, it was, yeah, really tough.

Q. There is a lot of talk about being the next Nadal, the next this. Does that put any more pressure on you? Does it make you proud, or does it make you want to be known as the first, just yourself? How do you feel about when people talk about "the next"?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I could say it's a bit pressure on me, but not trying not to think about it. Just, I mean, I consider myself not the next. I think I'm No. 4 right now. So, yeah, I'm the kind of player that is in the moment, not the next generation or next player. Just I'm fighting with the best players in the world in the best tournaments.

So I just trying to enjoy these kind of moments, play in the best, yeah, in the best stadiums in the world.

So I just enjoy.