Mission accomplished: Alcaraz’s goal to play pain-free has been achieved, but he’s not yet willing to fire at 100 percent in Madrid

Carlos Alcaraz made a victorious return to the match court and stretched his impressive winning streak at the Madrid Masters to 12 victories on Friday, winning 6-2, 6-1 to set a third-round clash with Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth-Wild.

It’s a giant step in the right direction for the world No 3, but more needs to be done before Alcaraz can emerge as a potential threat to win a third consecutive title in Madrid – or Roland-Garros for that matter.

Why?

Because Alcaraz isn’t ready to play at the top end of his physical capacity – yet.

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Pain-Free, and that’s key

The Spaniard expressed relief about the fact that he was pain-free during the match on Friday, but admitted that he was holding back a bit on the forehand. The news is all good, but Alcaraz isn’t out of the woods when it comes to the forearm injury that caused him to miss Monte-Carlo and Barcelona just yet.

“I didn’t hit my forehand 100 percent,” Alcaraz told reporters on Friday after improving to 13-1 at Madrid, and 16-4 for the 2024 season. “I hit it softer than I used to hit it, but I think it helped me to stay relaxed.”

Alcaraz says his main mission on Friday was to feel no pain. Consider it a job well done.

“The first thing that I was thinking about when I was stepping on the court is to stay healthy, to not feel anything in the forearm,” he said. “That’s the main thing for me. And then it was the shots or the level. I was really happy to not feel anything in the forearm, and after that, I could increase my intensity. I could increase my forehand a little bit, and it was great for me this match.”

The real work starts now

Now that he’s back on the court, and past the first hurdle, Alcaraz can begin to relax and set his sights on growing his clay game for the challenges that lie in wait.

“This one was the first match since Miami,” he said. “I think I played a really good level, hopefully keep going and play more matches. You have to be a lot of hours on court just to be ready for the biggest stages and, you know, finding your best version of yourself on clay.

“Right now I’m thinking to be better or get better every day, and I’m thinking to be closer to my 100% here in Madrid, and let’s see how it’s gonna be the next few weeks. But the main thing is to be ready for next tournament and obviously to Roland Garros.”

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