“I felt invincible” – Alcaraz high on confidence after first-round win at Roland-Garros
Carlos Alcaraz is pleased with his start to Roland-Garros, reporting to have felt invincible as he defeated Flavio Cobolli in his first-round match
Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 French Open
Image Credit: AI/Reuters/Panoramic
Day two of Roland-Garros saw Carlos Alcaraz dispatch Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to move through to the second round of the Grand Slam.
While the match took less than two hours, the final set saw the world No 159 push Alcaraz to the limits, ending with a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 scoreline.
However, Alcaraz is only taking positives from the match, choosing to focus on his fast start against the Italian.
“I felt I couldn’t lose a game” – Alcaraz
Alcaraz began rapidly in his opening match of Roland-Garros 2023, winning the first set against Cobolli 6-0.
“I think I played great. It’s been a great start here in Roland-Garros, great match. He played a good level so I’m really, really happy to get through the first round.”
The world No 1 confessed that the quick start to his first-round match was excellent for his confidence levels on the Paris clay.
“I felt invincible.”
Carlos Alcaraz
“At the start of the match, I felt invincible. I felt I couldn’t lose a game.”
These comments come despite the fact that Alcaraz was far from his best against Cobolli. The 20-year-old only hit five winners in the first set, and committed seven unforced errors. In fact, it was a scratchy match for the Spaniard overall, with a negative winner to unforced error ratio of 26 to 30.
Alcaraz ready for Taro Daniel in Roland-Garros second round
Heading into his second-round match of Roland-Garros, there will be plenty for Alcaraz to work on.
With a first-serve percentage at 57% for the match against Cobolli, and many more unforced errors than usual, the 20-year-old will be looking to improve against Taro Daniel.
“I know the level of Taro, so it’s going to be a really tough second round, really tough match. So I have to be ready of that, and I have to be prepared for a really tough one.”
This season so far, Daniel is 8-6 on the ATP Tour, with wins over Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini. The world No 112 defeated Christopher O’Connell in an even more one-sided scoreline than Alcaraz’s first-round match, beating the Australian 6-0, 6-2, 6-4.
Alcaraz, however, will be looking to have the crowd on his side in this match, sharing that he gains much of his motivation from the French fans.
“I feel the love from the people. I felt the energy from the crowd. I felt the love, you know, and it was great to feel that.”
