NITTO ATP FINALS

November 15, 2023

Carlos Alcaraz

Pala Alpitour,Torino

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/A. Rublev

7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Carlos, congratulations. Can you tell us what the key was out there today?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I think it was a pretty good match from my side. I think the key was to show my game. Doesn't matter if I could have won or lost, it's just to show my style, my game. I think that I did that pretty well.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Carlos, can you remember the last time you lost three matches in a row? It's been a long time, I would imagine. Did it mess with your head? Did it shake you at all? How did you sort of cope with that the last couple of days?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Honestly, I don't remember. I saw it was in 2021, but I don't remember the matches right now (smiling). It was a long time ago that, well, I lost three match in a row.

I try not to think about it. After the first match I just try to practice well coming into this match with a little bit more confidence than I felt in the first match.

The three loses in a row, well, I didn't think about it.

Q. Could you tell us about your emotions. It seems like it's a huge relief for you, this win.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Sorry?

Q. Could you tell us about your emotions after this win. It seems to me like it's a huge relief for you.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I'm really, really happy with the win today. Beating Rublev, it's a great player, it gives you a lot of confidence. Obviously it's a little bit more special to win after the lose in the first match. It was really, really tough for me.

You could see I've been struggling with my level the last few months, few tournaments. Playing this match in this quality, at this level, it's really helpful for me coming into the third one.

I'm really happy to show this level and realize that my level is still there, giving myself a chance in this tournament.

Q. What's the key against Rublev today for you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I'm going to say to be more aggressive than him. I know that it's really, really difficult to be more aggressive than Rublev because everybody knows his power, his forehand, his shots.

I think I was a little bit more than him. I practice yesterday really, really well. Focus on hitting the good shots really, really hard. I try to show it today. I think that was the key.

Q. The other day you said you were a little mentally tired after this long season, difficult season. How are you going to face - eventually - Medvedev if Zverev wins, and your match will be like a quarterfinal? How difficult it is when in the back of your mind you think you're a bit tired, you would like to stop playing and go on vacation to some islands?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, after this win, everything has changed in my mind. I'm going to prepare the match the same way that I did today. I will try to show my best and I will try to beat Medvedev.

The last match he beat me, playing a high level. I will try to take that match in the US Open and I will try to be better. I'm going to take the positive things and the negative things about this match, and I'll try to do it as best as I can on Friday.

I'm not thinking about the vacations right now. I'm thinking to do my best and try to classify into the semifinal in this amazing tournament.

Q. Did you see the match between Jannik and Novak? Are you excited thinking about a possible match against Jannik here in Italy in the semis or in the final?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I saw it. As a huge fan of tennis, it was one of the best matches of the year. It was high quality of tennis. It was an unbelievable match. Really close one. I think everybody enjoy that match. Probably a few of them was a lot of nerves watching it. For me, I really enjoyed this match. It was unbelievable.

Honestly, it would be really tough if I face Jannik in Italy. The crowd is going to be behind him. But who knows. I would love to play that battle against him. Every match that we face each other is an amazing match, so let's see.

Q. Do you think Jannik is a real contender for a Grand Slam in 2024?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Absolutely. I have no doubts about it. He is one of the those guys who are able to win a Grand Slam. I think he's going to reach the No. 1 in 2024 or he's going to give himself the chance to reach the No. 1.

That's my prediction (smiling).

Q. You played not so much indoors. What do you find the most difficult indoors for yourself if you compare with outdoors?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, outdoors is slower. The courts that we've been playing this year were so, so slow. So coming into the indoor courts, everything is faster. Especially this court, it's much faster than those ones. For me it's a little bit difficult to adjust my game, my movement into the matches.

But everything can change with good practice and good preparation. For me, I found little bit difficult to change my game.

Q. You said you don't consider or think about having lost three matches in a row. When you look at the overall results since Wimbledon, you had some very deep runs in tournaments, but there's been no title. Does that come into your mind? Do you think about something like that, or what's happened in the past is in the past, it doesn't matter?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I try not to think about it. The American swing was a good swing for me. Even if I didn't take any title, I did a quarterfinals, a finals against Novak in Cincinnati was a pretty good job, and semifinal of a Grand Slam in US Open.

I don't take that as a failure. Probably everybody, well, knows that I have to win every title or every tournament. I think that's a mistake.

For me, as I said, I've been struggling the last few months. Probably the Asian swing, Shanghai, probably those tournaments were not a good tournament for me. That's a shame for me, to end the year in that way.

I'm trying not to think about those tournaments, about the last loses. I am trying to take the positive things, the negative things, and put into the practice and be better in these few matches that I have had.