"Your mindset has to change a bit. Every match is a final": Carlos Alcaraz admits differing mindset at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz's first victory at the ATP Finals came in the Spaniard's second match in the Red Group. After losing to Alexander Zverev in his debut, the world number 2 managed to beat Andrey Rublev this Wednesday in two sets: 7-5, 6-2.

The first set was complicated. Neither of the two managed to do much damage to the opponent's serve, but Alcaraz found his moment at 5-5 to get the break at the key moment and take the first set 7-5. The second set was much easier for the Spaniard, who soon got on track with an initial break, and later with another one to take a 5-2 lead and close the match on serve.

In his on-court remarks after the match, Alcaraz talked about how complicated the court is and how important every match at the ATP Finals is: “I think the most difficult thing is how fast the court is. We play the whole season on very slow conditions. Coming here it’s really fast. It’s a bit difficult to adjust to this court. But at the same time, I like it. To be aggressive, to go to the net. That’s the best thing about playing indoors… Every match here could be a final of a Grand Slam.

"That’s the difference coming into this tournament. Your mindset has to change a bit. Every match is a final. You have to give your 100% before the match, in the warm up. You have to think about the preparation and how it’s gonna be. That’s the difference between this tournament & the other ones," added Alcaraz, who will play for a place in the semifinals of the ATP Finals next Friday in his last match of the group stage, where he will face Daniil Medvedev, who faces Zverev tonight for the top of the Red Group.