AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/Y. Hanfmann

7-6, 6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Carlos, congrats on reaching the third round. How do you assess your performance today compared to the first round?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, obviously, I didn't see myself playing that good. But then talking to my team, I realized that I played better than I thought (smiling), which I think is great.

But, obviously, I still getting used to the conditions, getting used to playing better. Obviously I think in front of me, I just played against a great player today.

But just happy that I'm just improving every day after every match. So hopefully being better in the next round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Is that a common occurrence that maybe you feel like you didn't play as well, your team tells you that you played better?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, as I said many times, I think when you are on court you cannot see the right thing sometimes. So you're stuck in the negative thoughts or negative things. You don't see the global or the whole thing.

When you're watching the match from outside, everything is more clear. The feeling of how I felt on court, that means that's why I said that I didn't feel that good. But obviously is because of Yannick that he played, or he played great shots, that he didn't let me feel comfortable on the court. In general, as I said, it's just about those feelings.

Those comments with my team after the match helps me a lot in the next round see the things more clear.

Q. You said the other day you were going to keep adjusting your serve, different strokes that you hit. What would you say are the most valuable adjustments that you have made, most valuable changes that you have made in the last year or two after you were already at a pretty good level that have really helped you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, I don't know. I would say probably technical part. I think the serve is a shot that I doing a lot of changes, you know, probably the last year. No other shot I've been changing anything or I've been putting so much attention on it.

But outside in terms of shots, I just adjust myself about how you behave, how I talk to myself, how I just approach every match, how I approach every tournament, in some really difficult moments in the match, how I deal with them.

Those adjustment I just try to made in the best way possible in the last year. It's something that I've been so much focused on it.

Q. I want to ask you about your second serve return. On your backhand side you sent a few long today. That's sometimes a trend in your matches. Is that something you're aware of and are trying to fix?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: The return, sorry?

Q. The second serve return on your backhand. Sometimes you send shots long off that. Is that something you're aware of and are trying to fix?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, the return, in general, is something that I'm trying to be better. I don't know. Sometimes it's the way that I feel it. Sometimes it's just going forward. Sometimes it's, you know, wait a little bit farther.

Yeah, as I said, I think, you know, here in Melbourne every day is breezing. So sometimes that wind is difficult to adjust the shot if you are farther on the court, which I just trying to make the best return possible in that point.

But obviously something that I'm trying to fix, I'm trying to be better.

Q. As the world No. 1, one of the biggest names in tennis, do you feel a responsibility to be an ambassador for the sport, to grow it in the way that Federer, Nadal, Djokovic did before you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Not really. I don't think about it, being a good ambassador for the tennis. But obviously at the same times, the way that I play, I said many times, sometimes it's just trying to entertain the people, trying to engage the people to watch more tennis.

But a part of that is, you know, I'm not thinking that I have to be the best ambassador possible to tennis. Just stepping on the court, I'm doing what I love to do, just playing tennis. Like that, it is the best way that I can be a good ambassador on tennis.

It's just about loving what you doing and enjoy every single second you step on the court. I think that's it. That's all that's in my mind.

Q. You were just talking about adjusting things. Have you got blisters at the moment? If and when you have blisters, how much do you adjust with the way you're holding the racquet and how you're playing?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, luckily I haven't blister in my hand yet. So it's good for me, I guess (smiling).

But I have got it in my feet. It's not that really comfortable situations, to be honest. But sometimes is like you got to be a warrior. If you feel some pain in some part of your body with blister, whatever it is, you have to go through the pain and then trying to be the best player possible on the court.

Obviously having a blister on the hands, where you hold the racquet, is not really a great thing, to be honest. But, you know, I haven't feel it.

So hopefully I'm not going to feel it never.