Carlos Alcaraz is taking nothing for granted ahead of his meeting with Cameron Norrie in the final of the Argentina Open on Sunday.
The former world No.1 eased his way into the final by dismissing compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2, 6-2, in just under 80 minutes. Alcaraz won 73% of his first service points and broke his opponent five times in the match en route to victory. So far he has only dropped one set in three matches played in the tournament which was against Laslo Djere in the second round.
This week is the first time Alcaraz has played a Tour event since the Paris Masters where he was forced to retire during his quarter-final match against Holger Rune due to an abdominal injury. Then during the off-season, he picked up a leg issue which forced him to miss the Australian Open last month.
“It’s a really special moment for me,” Alcaraz said following his win over Miralles. “I was a little bit down after the injury, so I had to recover in those four months the confidence and the rhythm. Coming back for my first tournament of 2023 and making the final is so special for me.”
The 19-year-old will next take on second seed Norrie who endured a more testing encounter in his semi-final match. The Brit edged out Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas 7-6(5), 6-4, to reach his 13th Tour final and fourth on clay.
Alcaraz currently leads Norrie 3-1 in their head-to-head but lost their most recent encounter at the Cincinnati Open last year. Overall, three out of their four matches have gone the distance and the Spaniard is expecting another stern test in the Argentinian capital.
“Norrie is a great player, a great warrior. I have to be at a high level. I have to play at my best level to beat him: be very aggressive, seek to impose my game, do what I’ve been doing and enjoy,” Alcaraz said in Spanish during his press conference.
“It’s a final, It’s not every day that a final is played and I have to enjoy the moment.”
The world No.3 is seeking to win his seventh ATP trophy as he prepares to defend a large number of points over the coming months. Last year he won five titles, including two Masters 1000 tournaments and the US Open. His breakthrough in 2022 saw him become the youngest player in history to reach the top of the ATP Pepperstone rankings.
“You’re going to get nervous, but controlled nerves are quite good: they keep you very focused and don’t let you get completely distracted,” Alcaraz said of playing in his latest final.
“I’m a very competitive player and I approach the finals with the following philosophy: the finals are not played, they are won. I keep that in mind. I have to go all out, I can’t let the nerves of a final get to me.”
Alcaraz has reached nine Tour finals so far in his career with seven of those being on the clay.