“I’m feeling better and better every day” – Alcaraz growing in confidence at Australian Open

He is into his first Australian Open quarter-final, meaning he’s made the last eight of all the Grand Slams before turning 21 – making him the fourth-youngest man to do so. And according to Carlos Alcaraz, he’s feeling more comfortable the more time he spends on the Melbourne courts.

“It’s great to find this level, to play this level in the matches,” the world No 2 said after beating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0. “I mean, as I said on the court, I’m feeling better and better every day. I’m feeling better and better every match that I’m playing. Coming into the quarter-final [against Alexander Zverev] with a lot of confidence.

“I will try to take this as an advantage, the confidence that I have and the level that I’m playing. But hopefully in the quarter-finals against Sascha, [I] will play a better match than today.”

Last summer, Alcaraz acclimatised quickly to the grass courts of SW19 and lifted his first Wimbledon trophy. Could the same thing happen in Australia?

“Grass and hardcourt are totally different. Probably the process could be similar,” he speculated. “A court that I didn’t play so much here in Rod Laver, I didn’t play so much as well. Probably the process could be the same or similar.

“All I can say, yeah, is I’m feeling – I didn’t think about it, but could be the same. Every match that I’m playing, I’m feeling better and better on a court I didn’t play so much, as I said. Hopefully the same as Wimbledon. Yeah, could be the same.”

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