ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 12, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

J. SINNER/C. Alcaraz

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Bad luck, Carlos. What do you think was the key today?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I would say that the important moments, the important points, I didn't play well. I think I had so much opportunities in the match that I didn't take it. So many games, points, so many 15-30, Love-30.

I think the first tiebreak I think I didn't play well, and I think he just played unbelievable tennis when it mattered. I think that was the key today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Globally, you're recognized like the player with the, let's say, the best touch, let's say like this, the most sensitive. So theoretically you should be the one handling better than someone else the weird conditions today, like wind. To me, looked like you were very bothered today by the wind. Is it right? Am I right, I am wrong? How did the wind bother you today during the match?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I think today was really difficult conditions, because I just consider myself that I play great tennis when there is a lot of wind.

Today's wind was a little bit tricky because it wasn't, yeah, in just one direction. It was twirling around like one point like playing, you know, with the wind helping, and then the next point it was totally the opposite. So it was tricky to understand where the wind goes.

But I would say we played great tennis considering the conditions today. Yeah, just, yeah, he just play great tennis when it is a lot of wind, wind condition, as well. I think he just played great tennis, better level of tennis, yeah, when it matters with these conditions.

I think I'm proud of myself it didn't affect my game, my style, that much as it usually do when these conditions came. But it is what it is. So it bothers me, obviously. I think it bothers Jannik, but I think he just played much better.

Q. Were you impressed by Jannik on clay? Do you think he sent a sort of message that you have to answer before and during the clay season?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I'm not surprised at all. We could see, I mean, we have seen Jannik's level on clay, and I think he's been improving a lot year by year. I think he's reaching a level on clay that is going to be really dangerous for everybody.

I'm not surprised at all, because we could see last year in French Open the level he played. Yeah, I'm not really want to talk again about it, but he has the level on clay to win every tournament he plays on clay and every surface, of course, but he understand the game on clay pretty well.

Q. If I'm not wrong, this latest season you didn't really play the full clay season, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome. There were some injuries at some point. This year, how do you feel right now? Is it the plan to play all these tournaments or maybe before the French it will be cautious at some point to skip one?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I don't know, the main goal is to play the full clay season calendar. Let's see how it's gonna be. It was the goal last year, as well, and unfortunately I couldn't because I was injured.

So we touching wood and praying that nothing's going to happen to my body. So I hear my body much better than last year, for sure. If I'm gonna skip one, I will skip one tournament. If my body stay healthy, I'm going to do whatever it takes to be healthy and take care of my body.

If I don't have any problems, I will play everything on clay. Let's see how it's gonna be the next weeks. I don't know how it's gonna be, the matches, if I'm gonna win matches, if I'm gonna lose in the first rounds, if the matches are going to be super demanding physically or not, so I don't know how it's gonna be, but what I can tell right now is I will hear my body much better this year than last year, for sure.

Q. You said in the recent days that Sinner has improved a lot on the serve. Today he didn't make any ace, and percentage of first serve in the beginning was not that great. Do you think he won the match from the baseline more than other times, especially on backhand against backhand? Was he more effective than you? You think that could be the key or not?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, 100%. I think on clay probably some moments that the serves can help a lot, but overall, just from the baseline, I think he won the match from the baseline. I think he just played much better.

Especially, as you said, from backhand to backhand, I think especially the first set, we play a lot backhand to backhand, and he just -- I feel he was more in the position to attack than me, and he just play much better the shots from that side, I would say.

So I think he just hit the ball better, and yeah, I would say he just won from the baseline. I gotta tell like probably the percentage from the serve, it wasn't that good, but when it matters, he put the first serve. In the tiebreak, he didn't miss a first serve. Yeah, and I think I just put one return in or two returns in in the tiebreak.

So I would say when it matters, he plays with the first serve, so that's why he just really difficult to play, because he just play like that.