"I didn't feel 100% comfortable" admits Carlos Alcaraz on forearm injury but sees positives after thumping Madrid opener

Carlos Alcaraz has dispelled any doubts there might have been with his forearm in his debut at the Madrid Open 2024. The Spaniard swept aside Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round, where he will face Thiago Seyboth Wild.

After the match, the world number 3 spoke to the ATP Tour microphones, declaring how he felt after this first match in the Caja Mágica and his sensations on the court and with his forearm, which was hurting him when it came to hitting forehands like other times.

"I think I did very well, honestly. The last few months I've only been training volleys and the backhand, it worked really well today. It's something I was thinking about before this match, trying to hit a lot softer forehand, let's say, and trying to hit good backhands, get up to the net as much as possible, and I think I played a great match in that sense," Alcaraz commented.

Fortunately, it seems that the physical problems are getting better and have hardly bothered him during the match. Alcaraz himself was in charge of reporting after his resounding victory.

"Not a lot, but I think about it. It's something that's not going to go off the top of my head, I think. This Monday I trained (right) for the first time in a long time. Coming into this week I had been doing well training, being able to go harder, let's say, but today I didn't feel 100% comfortable with the forehand. However, I'm very happy to have been able to play at this level, and I think I can be competitive."

Finally, he hopes to continue progressing both in the tournament and in sensations, knowing that he faces a tough opponent in the next round, but with the hope of being able to move forward.

"Well, the truth is that I am very happy. Very happy to be able to compete, the truth is that the priority today was to see how I felt, without pain, and then came everything else. In the end the sensations have been very good, I had no pain in my forearm, which was something we had doubts about. And then, the level I showed was a great level. I moved very well, I hit my forehand very well, a little soft and forward, which is what we had been doing and what I had planned to do today. The truth is that I hope I can continue playing at this level in the next rounds."