Spanish rising star Carlos Alcaraz says he is trying to control his nerves ahead of playing at the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time in his career.
The 18-year-old is one of the brightest prospects on the men’s Tour and has already rewritten the record books this season. In January he broke into the ATP top 20 to become the youngest player to do so since 1993. A month later he triumphed at the Rio Open to become the youngest player in history to win an ATP 500 title since the series began. The duo of milestones was followed by Alcaraz stunning the Tour by winning the biggest trophy of his career yet at the Miami Open. To put that achievement into context, Rafael Nadal and Michael Change are the only players to have won a Masters tournament at a younger age than him.
“It was really special for me. I had time to celebrate it with my friends and family at home for a couple of days, but now it’s time to focus on clay and the first Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo,” Alcaraz told Agencia EFE.
Monte Carlo will be only the 11th clay court event Alcaraz has played on the ATP Tour in his career. Although he has already achieved success on the clay by winning two of his three ATP titles on the surface. On the lower level Challenger circuit, he also won four clay events between 2020-2021.
Seeded eighth this week in Monte Carlo, Alcaraz is on course for a potential quarter-final meeting with world No.1 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic has played just three matches so far this season after missing a series of tournaments due to not having a COVID-19 vaccination. For the clash to occur, both players must win their first two matches played.
“I don’t want to be in a hurry, I just focus on the first match,” Alcaraz replied when asked how he will approach the tournament.
“Logically, if later on I play Novak Djokovic, it would be a great match. Playing against the number one player in the world would be incredible for me, but I hope to play well in the first few matches first and I hope to face him later, in the quarterfinals.”
The Spaniard has already recorded seven wins over top 10 players in his career with three of those occurring at the Miami Open. He has beaten Matteo Berrettini twice, Stefanos Tsitsipas twice, Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud.
Alcaraz says his meteoric rise wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for his team. He is coached by former world No.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero who won the 2003 French Open. The two have been working together since 2019.
“They support me a lot and without them it would not be possible to be here, to win my first Masters 1000. They support me a lot, they make an effort and they talk to me every day, telling me the negative things, the things I have to improve, the things I’m not doing well. That helps me a lot”. He said.
Alcaraz will play Sebastian Korda in his opening match in Monte Carlo on Wednesday.
