“I didn’t want to touch a racquet” – Alcaraz explains significance of China Open success
Alcaraz shares what his China Open title means after a tough North American swing
© Ng Han Guan/AP/SIPA
Following Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Jannik Sinner in the China Open final in Beijing on Wednesday, the Spaniard’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, could be seen wiping tears away from his eyes.
Considering this was Alcaraz’s 16th title of his young career, and far from his biggest – he has, after all, won two Grand Slams this year alone – it was a surprising scene. Why did winning an ATP 500 title towards the end of the season mean so much to him?
Speaking to the media after his 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Sinner, the 21-year-old revealed why his success in Beijing was so meaningful.
“After the American swing, I was a little bit down, that I didn’t want to touch a racquet for a while. I didn’t want to travel, let’s say,” explained Alcaraz, who only managed to win one match in the North American hardcourt swing, with a first-round exit in Cincinnati and a shock loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US Open.
“We all know what we went through the last month or the last two months. It was a really difficult moment on the court, off the court.
“We talk a lot during those days, knowing that I have to be back practicing, be stronger physically, be stronger mentally just to overcome those problems, let’s say. The last month we’ve been working really, really hard on the court, off the court, just to be able to feel this moment again.
“Thanks to them (Alcaraz’s team) I started to get the joy back playing the matches, practicing, I got motivated again. I really wanted to travel, to play tournaments again.
“I’m going to say that’s why he got emotional. For me, it was special. For the people that are around me, it’s a special moment.”
Despite his recent lull, Alcaraz is now on a nine-match winning streak, having gone unbeaten at the Davis and Laver Cups and now won the China Open. He returns to world No 2 when the latest rankings are released on Monday, and remains an outside chance of finishing the year No 1.
