(VIDEO) Carlos Alcaraz "really happy to realize that my level is still there" after winning second tie at 2023 ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz has admitted to being delighted about re-gaining his level at the 2023 ATP Finals after he won his second tie at the tournament.

Alcaraz has had an up-and-down start to his run at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The World No. 2 lost his first group stage tie against Alexander Zverev after a three-set thriller. The Spaniard won the first set on a tiebreak but struggled against the German player in the next two sets, meaning Zverev clinched the win 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4.

This came after a difficult few months for Alcaraz, who was on a high over the summer following his victory against Novak Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon. However, he proceeded to lose his World No. 1 ranking to the Serbian player and failed to defend his US Open title.

Nevertheless, Alcaraz still declared his goal of trying to overtake Djokovic in order to end the year as No. 1, but this became impossible after he failed to win any titles on the Asian Swing, and suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the Paris Masters to Roman Safiullin.

However, the 20-year-old once again proved why he is a two-time Grand Slam champion with a strong performance against Andrey Rublev in his second tie at the ATP Finals. He defeated the Russian in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2 to keep himself in with a chance of making the semi-finals and he revealed his relief after the match.

"I'm really, really happy with the win today. Beating Rublev, it's a great player, it gives you a lot of confidence. Obviously it's a little bit more special to win after the lose in the first match. It was really, really tough for me.

"You could see I've been struggling with my level the last few months, few tournaments. Playing this match in this quality, at this level, it's really helpful for me coming into the third one. I'm really happy to show this level and realize that my level is still there, giving myself a chance in this tournament," he said.