"I haven't played on clay since July, it was tough for me" says Alcaraz after win over Munar

Carlos Alcaraz had a really rough first set against Jaume Munar in Rio but battled back to win in three sets 2-6 6-2 6-1.

Alcaraz hadn't played on clay since July and some of the rust was clearly visible against Jaume Munar in Rio. The 1st round matchup was a tricky one for Alcaraz especially against a clay-court specialist who defeated him last year in Marbella. Alcaraz understood it was going to be tough heading into it:

"Jaume was playing really, really well. He played more matches on clay in the last tournaments than me. I didn't play on clay since July last year, so it was really tough for me. I knew it was going to be difficult. But I'm really happy with the way I turned around the match."

Rio de Janeiro will always be a special city for Alcaraz, who upset Albert Ramos-Vinolas there two years ago as a 16-year-old. That victory made him the youngest tour-level match-winner since 16-year-old Cristian Garin at Vina del Mar in 2013. Up next for Alcaraz will be either Federico Delbonis or Daniel Elahi Galan. Both of these players are not clay-court specialists.