Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. file | Photo Credit: AP
Carlos Alcaraz admitted the injury absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made it easier for him to defend his Madrid Open title, but said on Tuesday he did not feel favorite to win.
The joint-record 22-time Grand Slam winner pulled out of competition in the Spanish capital last week, dealing a blow to his preparations for the French Open at the end of May.
World number two and top seed Alcaraz, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on Sunday to retain his Barcelona Open title, aims to do the same in Madrid, which starts on Wednesday.
“When the best players are not there, we say it’s a little too easy, but as I’ve always said, all players are very good,” Alcaraz said at a press conference.
“They have a very high level, every player feels they can win the title, so we are not (much) confident because there have been big pull-outs.
“It’s a pity we’re not enjoying them live, but in the end we don’t feel favorites or anything, we’re going match by match.”
The Spaniard said it would not be a failure if he does not lift the trophy again.
Alcaraz said, “When we go into each tournament we think we can win it, and we’ll try to win it, but if we don’t it’s not going to be failure.”
“For me, leaving a tournament thinking I’ve failed, it’s going to be about the level I’ve shown, or the level of attitude, which is the important thing for me.
“If in terms of attitude, my head, I’ve been good, playing at a good level, then I wouldn’t take that as a failure.”
The 2022 US Open champion, 19, could reclaim the world number one ranking from Djokovic ahead of the French Open if he wins in Madrid or Rome, and plays at least one match in the other tournament – or reaches both finals.
“Getting to number one is a goal, but in the case of Paris it doesn’t change much,” Alcaraz said.
“Obviously getting back to number one would be a nice achievement, but in terms of Roland Garros, it’s unimportant to me.”