AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/C. Moutet

6-2, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Carlos, well done. Through to the second week again here. How pleased were you with your performance today?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think my level is getting better and better. Obviously today, you know, Corentin, I think he isn't a player who play with so much rhythm, you know, in the match, with dropshots, slices. So sometime it's tricky to get the good rhythm, which I think today I just got whatever I could, which I'm really happy about it.

Yeah, I'm just happy about the level, happy about the match. It was a few highlights, which I'm just happy about it. Yeah, excited to keep it going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. It looked like a lot of fun, a lot of good shot-making from both of you. You mentioned how difficult it is to face someone like Moutet who doesn't give you a lot of rhythm. How challenging is it also to maintain your focus if he comes and goes throughout the match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think to maintain the focus in a Grand Slam is always difficult, but I think when you are facing these kind of players, even more difficult.

As I said, when you don't know what's coming, he could do whatever he wants to do, so it's just tricky. You can go a little bit farther on the court, but then right away he makes a dropshot. If you go forward, he go with topspin. So sometime it's just tricky.

But, you know, I'm just happy, because I just got the good focus all the time. When the things that didn't go to my side, just stayed there, and then trying to weigh my good moment again, my good rhythm, which I got in the second set.

Then after that, I just started to play my style of my game again. Just pleased and happy that I got my good focus during the whole match.

Q. Just looking ahead to your next match, you play Tommy Paul. You have a pretty good head-to-head against him, but he has beaten you a few times. I'm curious what the challenge is of playing him, what does he do well, and what do you have to do to counter that?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, he's a great player. You know, we were talking earlier in the locker room, when was the last time we played against each other? Okay, it was in the French Open. So it's been a long time.

I know what I have to do, but he's really, really fast. He has great shots, good hands, as well.

So I got to play my style. I got to play my tennis, my good shots if I want to beat him.

But obviously I know I'm going to suffer, and I have to be ready for that, and I have to accept the tough moments that is gonna be in the match. You know, from that, just move on, and I'm trying to feel comfortable, you know, in those rallies, in those tough moments.

So that's what I have to do if I want to beat Tommy.

Q. At the Australian Open the coaching box is sort of closer to the players. I just wonder generally, do you talk to coaches before a match about what you want from them match to match, like this match whether I want a lot of tactical pointers or this match I want you to stay a bit quieter or pump me up? How does that work for you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Not really. I don't really talk about what I want in the match, if I want them to talk more, to give more tactical things. To be honest, depends. Depends on them, as well.

Obviously every match is different. Every match probably I just need something. They already know it, because my team knows me pretty well.

So it's just depends on the match. If they talk much or not, they give me more tactical, you know, stuff or just they trying to make me smile, you know, on the court, which sometimes I need.

So it's just depend on the moment of the match.

Q. How do they make you smile?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: They have the things (smiling). I think some words that they said it, and right away, I (smiling) smile.

Q. You mentioned on court that you enjoyed the 1 Point Slam. I wondered if it was the format in particular that you liked, or is it that you like having something not as serious in the week before a Grand Slam?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think having those things, that you have fun. It's just not only, like, focus, you know, 24 hours per day, just for practice, to recover, the next day exactly the same thing.

So having something unusual that you have fun on court, I think it's great. You know, it's something that we're not used to, to see, to play just one point, you know, the match. When the qualifying were playing, we were all talking about it. Okay, did you see this point? Did you see that point? It's just kind of funny.

I think sometimes too, you know, I stay away, for the focus on the professional part, let's say, and having that part of fun I think helps you a lot. Then coming to the practices or to the matches with, you know, a fresh mind.

For me, to be honest, I really liked it. Probably this year was a little bit long. They had to fix it up in some way, but to be honest, this kind of event I think is great.

Q. How do you compare how you're playing this first week compared to how you played, like, during the US Open that first week?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it's tough to compare, you know, with the first week in US Open. I think, yeah, in the US Open it's been my best run so far in a Grand Slam, going to the final.

I cannot compare it, because it is the first tournament of the season. In US Open, I play couple of them (smiling). It's different, but I'm just happy with the way that I see myself improving every match or every practice.

So I know that I'm gonna keep going forward, which I'm just happy and excited about how will be my level at, and we will see. But, to be honest, I cannot compare it.

Q. When you make technical tweaks to your game like you have with your serve, I was curious as to how long it takes for those processes to feel natural? Are you still picturing a mini basketball hoop, or...

CARLOS ALCARAZ: No, no, no (smiling). I mean, I don't take long. I don't take, you know, too long. But obviously something that I just putting so much attention on it, and every practice, every warm-up, I just trying to feel good with the serve, and in the matches, as well.

The good things about my rhythm on my serve right now is because sometimes when I just think I'm doing the wrong thing, I just, you know, think like keep it simple, and it helps a lot.

That's one of those things that I really really wanted to do was a smooth movement, smooth rhythm, and yeah, I just got it pretty quickly.