ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/G. Zeppieri

6-3, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Carlos, congrats on your first win. Tell us your feelings today. How did you feel on court?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, today was a great match. I felt great hitting the balls, moving. I think everything today was great.

Obviously I expected worse level for me, honestly. First round for every tournament is never easy to adapt your game to the conditions and get used to it.

I'm just really proud about it. Is great to have these feelings in the first round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Can you imagine coming back here one day with 14 titles here?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I can't, honestly (smiling). I mean, it's something you can't think about it until, I mean, just one man in the planet was able to do it, and I can't imagine.

Q. Your next opponent, he likes to hit dropshots. You like to hit that shot. Do you prepare against someone both hitting them yourself but also when you know your opponent is going to be hitting a lot of them, as well? Is that something you prepare for going into the match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Prepare what?

Q. The dropshot. Your next opponent, he likes to hit a lot of them, as well.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I mean, of course let's say I study my opponents a little bit. I know that, you know, Fabian likes to hit dropshots. So probably I put extra focus on that. I'm going to be ready for that. I try to keep my balls to make him in trouble to do it.

So let's see. It's gonna be a dropshot battle, I guess (smiling). But let's see. It's going to be an interesting match, so I'll be ready for that from him.

Q. You have played matches on many courts throughout your career, I'm sure. Nowadays you're playing on the very best ones. What's the worst court you have ever played on in terms of matches?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it's difficult. It's difficult to answer that question, honestly. Every court has, let's say, beauty.

But yeah, at the beginning, I have played in kind of different courts, so at the beginning especially that I didn't play in main stadiums, I played in the outside. Honestly, I don't even remember the worst court that I played on. All of them has their beauty. Many stadiums are much better than outside courts, but everyone has their, you know, beautiful, beautiful things.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Flavio Cobolli, he's just won a 500. I think the preseason before this one, he trained with you.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yes.

Q. I wondered if you could talk a bit about him as a person and as a player?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, he's really nice, really nice person. He has the level to be there, really. Great player, as well.

I had the opportunity to practice with him a couple of times. He came to the academy to have the preseason there a few weeks. He couldn't do it last preseason, because he got injured.

But yeah, I'm just really, really happy with everything he's doing lately. I just really happy about his title Hamburg recently. Two titles already in this season, so I'm pretty sure he's gonna keep building his path. He's keep, you know, growing as a person, as a player, he's going to become a really good tennis player.

But yeah, just really happy with the progress he's getting.

Q. What does he do well particularly?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I mean, he's a really talented player. He has really good hands, really good touch. Physically he's great, as well. Moving great. He has great shots.

I mean, what he was struggling was about finding the right shots in the right moment. Probably he was a little bit unconsistency, as me sometimes (smiling), but I think he's getting there, and he's becoming even great player.

Q. You just mentioned the idea of consistency. I'm wondering, over the course of a long season, how does your intensity and focus change maybe, if it does, and if so, what can affect that? The opponent, the tournament, the round of a tournament?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, we all know that roller coaster that has been so far this year for me, making really good results, then losing the first round, then getting....

So far it's been a roller coaster, let's say. But right now I think I found a really good path again, and I'm trying to, let's say, having really good level during the whole tournament or even, you know, during the whole match.

So I think I'm just starting to get it, feeling more comfortable approaching the matches. Once I start the matches, I think I'm just keeping the high level in the whole match and during the whole tournament.

So hopefully, you know, during the season that are left, I'll try to keep it like that, but I'm feeling like I'm starting to get it.

Q. Last evening you were there for Rafa's ceremony. Even last year when he played his first-round match you were there. You watched that, too. I wonder whether you're able to feed off these kind of things and if it is important for you to be there in moments like this in your tennis journey.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, Rafa has been my idol since the very first beginning for my career, for my interest in tennis. For me, to be able to watch his last match here in Roland Garros and be able to be there for that farewell, so yesterday was a really special day I think for everyone, but I'm talking about myself. It was a special moment for me.

It was emotionally yesterday, I mean, seeing him saying good-bye in the way he did it yesterday was unbelievable. So I just loved the way Roland Garros did that farewell for him. Everything just was incredible, and ended up being the big four all together in the Philippe Chatrier was unbelievable.

So honestly, it was unbelievable. For me, it was a great experience in the last match for him in the Philippe Chatrier and yesterday. So it was great being in some way with him in the last, let's say, in the last steps in Roland Garros.

Q. We saw yesterday during your training session that you closed your eyes during some exercises. Could you explain this? What is the objective of these exercises?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, I just try to be ready for the tournament. I just work in the gym in the previous days, and yesterday I just got that exercise about reaction. But just having good reaction, and I think, you know, my fitness coach did that exercises for me just to be ready and get good reactions for the return and for whatever, you know, the match demanding for me, just to have good reactions.