Carlos Alcaraz: ‘Sooner or later, I’ll do great in this tournament’
Fresh from capturing the ATP 500 title in Vienna, Carlos Alcaraz spoke to the media before his first match.
Will the special relationship between Paris and Carlos Alcaraz produce another memorable chapter at the 2026 Rolex Paris Masters? That is certainly the ambition of the No.2 seed, who arrives in the French capital full of confidence after his latest title run and with everything to gain at a tournament where he has yet to advance beyond the quarter-finals.
How are you feeling after your excellent week in Vienna?
Carlos Alcaraz: Coming into this week, being the champion of Vienna, getting a lot of experience, rhythm and confidence, I just hope to deliver great tennis and a great level this week. I’m excited and looking forward to playing my first match.
After your injury and during your recovery, were you ever afraid that you might not get back to your best level?
It was a long period of time that I was out, so I had a lot of time to think, to feel, and there are some moments that I was sure that I was going to come back at my best. There were some moments that I doubt about myself, I'm not going to lie. If I was going to hit the forehand, at my best, at my 100% again, if I'm going to feel the wrist again, to be healthy again, there were some doubts about it. But when you're surrounded by great people and when you trust your team at 100%, it's easier to come back. I'm just happy that I made a great job and we are here in this position right now.
Historically, the Rolex Paris Masters hasn’t brought you the same success as some other tournaments. How do you explain that?
Well, I don't know to be honest. It’s a bit weird, because we've seen the rest of the tournaments. At some point I've played good tennis here, as when I was in quarterfinals against Holger. There were some years that I came here not feeling 100%, especially mentally. But there were some years that I felt well, I felt I really wanted to be here playing at my best, I was excited about playing here, and ended up losing first or second round, not playing good tennis. I'm pretty sure sooner or later, I’ll do great in this tournament.