BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 3, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Carlos, welcome back to Tennis Paradise. Tell us how the preparation has been going these days.

CARLOS ALCARAZ: It's been going really great, to be honest. Feeling a little bit different compared to other years, but, you know, a couple good practices. You know, back and ready, so it's been good and I'm excited to begin.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Wondering, with all this conflict in the Middle East and players not able to get here easily, what do you make of the situation? Does it distract from the ability to prepare and focus?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it was surprising, because, you know, saying that, I'm going to say couple days or one week before we are all playing there, and all of a sudden everything happen, so it was a little bit surprising, to be honest.

You know, seeing few players stuck there, couldn't travel at all, it's been a little bit worried, at least for me, like the situation over there. Hopefully, you know, they can travel and they can come here soon. I don't know the situation right now, but we all hope that that thing...

You know, for me, it's not a distraction at all. I just maintain my focus and be ready and practicing on my best, but we are all concerned about what's going, and the situation involved with the players stuck there.

Q. How excited are you about your winning streak at the start of the season? 12 wins in a row. I don't know if you know that Novak Djokovic won 41 in a row at the start of the season about 15 years ago, whether that's a target that excites you?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, obviously I know that 41, Novak holds the record. I'm gonna say you don't realize how difficult it is until you, I'm gonna say, you're chasing that, because, you know, all right, 41, it's not that much, but then you're like 12 on, it's like, shit, it's like four or five more tournaments, the biggest tournaments in the world (smiling). You realize and you feel like how impressive it is.

You know, I just really proud about my start of the year. Hopefully the winning streak continues or I would try that, but I just happy to see myself playing great tennis.

Q. One of the exciting young names coming up on the tour, is a guy you got to know from Rafa Jodar. He's obviously got a lot of talent, good head on his shoulders. Can you talk about him a little bit? What do you like when you see him as a player?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, I got to know him a couple of years ago, sparring in the Davis Cup. Then I saw his achievement in the juniors tour, so I just practice with him.

In the Davis Cup, not that much, but I could feel the rhythm and then a couple years after that, he just come to the tour, like, and playing such great tennis in the challengers, going through in the challenger tour like really quick, winning a few of them, position himself in a good ranking.

I really like him. I really like the way that he plays. No fear. Having no respect to anybody when he step in the court. Off the court he's a really nice guy. Have huge respect to everybody who's in the tour. But once he step in the court, he believes in himself and he believes and he can beat anybody.

So that's what I like the most to him, and for me, it's not surprising at all how good he's doing in the tour and how far he's breaking in the tour and being close to the top 100. We're gonna see like more of Rafa in couple of years, or I just hope that.

Q. You kind of started, I think, the wave of the player documentary series, the vlogs, and now there's so many of them with different players having their own vlogs. Is that something you want to revisit, do another one? What do you think of so many players having a behind-the-scenes kind of vlog documentary?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think it's good. Why not getting to know the players behind the scenes. I think it's really good to understand a little bit more about how a player is going through in every tournament in his life, and I think that's really interesting to see.

Talking for myself, I think I just really wanted to show the people how I live, how I feel, and, you know, how I just approach everything in my life. If it is going to be a second part, I don't know yet, but it's just about about how I feel and if it's gonna be like interesting or not.

But right now, I don't feel like we need that second part, let's see in the future, but I think my point of view, I think it's great for everyone that we get to know the people behind the scenes.

Q. Obviously you have been playing great tennis. Is there anything in particular you think you've maybe improved particularly well?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: To improve?

Q. Is there anything in particular you think you have been doing better than usual?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: I think on the court I just I control my emotions even better. I would say that was the key of, you know, the good level of tennis that I have been playing lately, because on the court, I just control myself, and in a calm place I can find the solutions and I can go through.

When I was getting mad or when I was playing bad or whatever, I just found the right way again, because I was calm, I was controlling myself and controlling my emotions and I was maintaining my good focus.

I would say I was doing that even better than before.