Carlos Alcaraz juggling surface change and national pride but confident of improving after Olympic Games opener
ATPSaturday, 27 July 2024 at 19:00
Carlos Alcaraz took down Hady Habib earlier today at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris 6-3, 6-1 as he eased past the Lebanese player after early adversity. Albeit he admitted that in his gold medal quest, he still has some factors to figure out.
But while they are on the court, he said they are also off it too with the need to work out playing for his country and the pride around that too. "I felt pretty good on clay in my first match after Wimbledon. Playing on a different surface is always complicated, but the truth is that I felt very good and with very good feeling," said Alcaraz as per MARCA.
"The atmosphere is different because there are many flags and it is something we are not used to seeing during tournaments".
"There are some details that I have to improve and that have cost me but I think that's normal and as I play longer and take more hours of competition, I'll pick it up."
Carlos Alcaraz (pictured) won his singles opener earlier today and is relishing playing with Rafael Nadal.
He will quickly be back in action though as he teams with Rafael Nadal shortly as part of the Nadalcaraz tandem against the sixth seeds Molteni and Gonzalez. He still has belief though despite the challenge being 'complicated'.
“It's going to be a complicated challenge. In the end we play against a couple that is used to playing together. They have had a good year and are very tough. We will try to do our best. If so, I think we are capable of winning that first match together.”
He also discussed missing the Opening Ceremony in which Nadal was a big part of. "These are difficult moments that you have to accept and obviously first things first. At first I was told that it was going to last a lot longer than it did and that my team-mates were going to arrive around one o'clock in the morning, more or less. That's when I said I'd better stay, that I had two games today and I had to be calm and rest as much as possible."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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