Alcaraz: “I’m very good, hopefully I can play the final against Djokovic”

Two days before his start in the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz appeared before journalists at the All England Tennis Club and wanted to dispel doubts, despite the fact that before the intervention he was seen during the morning training rally with a bandage on his right thigh. The Murcian, who will debut tomorrow against veteran Jeremy Chardy, for what could be the last match of his career, assured that he is physically fine and tried to transfer the pressure to Novak Djokovic, with whom he is fighting for the ATP throne again .

“I feel very energetic. I feel good, ready. I have worked all this week not to feel that pain, ”he replied when asked about how his body had reacted to the mishap he suffered during the final at Queen’s, where eight days ago he raised his first trophy on grass. “The bandage has been as a precaution. Simply, since we had a week ahead of us, we preferred to avoid tennis a bit and put in a little more physical load to be well prepared to play a Grand Slam, which is five sets. The bandage is simply for precaution. I feel very good, without any pain; prepared and with a lot of desire to start ”, he stressed.

Despite his youth, Alcaraz is self-confident in the field of spirit of tournaments. If at Roland Garros it was Novak Djokovic who won the game, by assuring that the starting favorite was the Spaniard, this time it is he who points to the Serbian in advance. “I think I’m prepared to get a good result here, but obviously the main favorite is Novak. He makes things very, very easy. He moves really well and hits the ball very well, with clean shots. He is a mix of everything. I think he does nothing wrong. He makes everything very easy and it is difficult to find any weakness in his game, ”he praised the Belgrade player, who will open today (2:30 p.m., Movistar Deportes) the championship against the Argentine Pedro Cachin.

The Spaniard says that the duel in the semifinals in Paris –decanted in favor of the Balkan and accompanied by cramps– brought him a lot in terms of growth and that he must continue learning to deal with pressure. “Because it’s something I want. Hopefully I can play the final against him, but, for me, the most difficult thing is to face Djokovic, ”he said.

Dropped off last season at Wimbledon by the Italian Jannik Sinner, in the round of 16, the young king of the circuit believes that on this occasion the mysticism of the Cathedral will not weigh so heavily on him, which he has not set foot on these days. “I have not entered. I have been practically living in Aorangi Park [las instalaciones de entrenamiento]But I still have time to stop by and see her. I am a boy who learns quickly from the experiences he has had; Last year it impacted me a lot, but I don’t think it will happen to me now because I already know how to manage it, ”she advanced.

During the press conference he was reminded that Rafael Nadal did not call bingo in London until the third attempt, and he was asked if he had discussed the information with his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. “The truth is that no”, he denied, “but I hope that I don’t need three finals and that I reach the first one, but obviously it’s not easy; the grass season is very short and you have to prepare it as best as possible. I haven’t played many tournaments and I’m not an experienced player, but every time I feel better. I come here with great confidence, and if it doesn’t come out this time, we will continue working so that one year it will be possible”.

Finally, the Murcian insisted that the aggressiveness of his style can benefit him and that Federer’s elegance inspires him through the videos. “The way he moves is wonderful,” he noted, “but sometimes you want to look like him, and it’s impossible”.

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