“Physically I am 100 percent eager to start here,” Alcaraz told reporters at the Caja Mágica in Madrid, the venue for the tournament.
“With the level that I have shown in Barcelona winning the title, I come here with a lot of confidence”, added the number two in the world.
The 19-year-old from Murcia has created great expectations with his presence, but he does not see it as added pressure.
“I take it totally the other way around; as a motivation. I like to play in front of so many fans and even more so if it’s here, in Spain, in front of my people,” said Alcaraz, who would not see not revalidating the title as a failure either.
“For me, leaving the tournament thinking that I have failed would be the level that I have shown or the level of attitude, which for me is the most important thing,” he explained.
“If in attitude, head, I’m fine, playing at a good level, I would not take it as a failure,” said Alcaraz with the same smile that he displays in every game.
“My style of play is very happy, it is doing different things and that comes from within me. When I am enjoying myself, I smile,” he said.
“It’s something that we also do with my team, when in the middle of the game we see that I’m having a bad moment, we make jokes to get that smile out of me and change my perspective of watching the game and change my way of playing,” added Alcaraz.
In Madrid, neither Novak Djokovic nor Rafa Nadal will be there, two sensitive casualties.
“When the best are not there, let’s say it’s a little easier,” said the Spaniard, although “we don’t trust ourselves because of the great casualties that have occurred that it’s a shame not to be able to enjoy them live.”
For the young tennis player from Murcia, the Madrid Tournament could be the occasion for the ‘Next-Gen’ to hit the table.
“I have always said that there are youngsters, I include myself among them, who are playing at a high level, who are winning tournaments, who are fighting for the best titles in the world and who here in Madrid are not far behind,” he concluded.