Carlos Alcaraz: Nadal always has an impact, but at Roland Garros there is even more respect

Carlos Alcaraz has become an international phenomenon in recent years with some of the biggest brands in the world trying to partner with the Spanish tennis star.

The player from Murcia, before his debut at Roland Garros, talked to MARCA about how he arrived at the Parisian event after skipping Rome due to a muscular problem in his right arm that has haunted him since the start of the clay tour at the TMS in Monte Carlo.

Much of the talk in tennis has been about the latest video game, Top Spin 2k25 which has been released and features Alcaraz as one of the main players.

Asked about whether he has played the new game yet, he said: "I've played it a few times, but I haven't been able to play much.

How is your forearm?

"I'm feeling better. Training has been going pretty well and without any discomfort."

Are you still afraid to use your forehand or do you feel better?

"No, I'm still a little scared. The fear when hitting is going to take some time to go away. The feeling I have is that if I feel it once it's enough to think about things. Every time I hit a hundred per cent in training or matches I have that in my head.

You arrived at the Mutua Madrid Open with the same problem. Are you better than you were at the Caja Magica?

"Yes, right now I feel much better than I did in Madrid."

Would it be important for you psychologically to play the French Open without the compression sleeve on your arm?

"I'm still wearing the compression bandage, I'm training with it and I'm going to play with it, that's clear to me. Wearing it doesn't mean that my arm hurts or that it feels bad. I use it as a precaution and I know it helps. My physio Juanjo [Moreno] tells me that it helps. Anything we can put on my forearm that helps me to feel mentally relieved I will do it. Playing with the bandage is not a mental stress for me."

Last week you started out hitting 80 forehands, a day later you hit 120. Have you counted how many forehands you have hit these last few days?

"I've been going day by day and together with my team we've been following the guidelines very well. The day I hit 80 was five out of 10, the hitting was weak. The day I hit 120 I hit it with a little more intensity. We have been calm. No matter how good the feelings were, we didn't jump into the pool and hit it to the limit. We preferred to go little by little and I think it was good for my forearm."

Do you plan to train one day with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros?

"I don't know who I will train with because Juan Carlos [Ferrero] knows and I have not asked. He is telling me day by day."

You have always confessed your desire to play against Nadal in Paris. Is it more special to play here with Rafa after all he has won?

"Obviously playing with Rafa always has an impact, no matter where, in what tournament or in what situation, for the legend that he is in our sport. But it is certain that what he gives off when he is at Roland Garros makes you respect him even more. If I play against him, I would try to take it as any other match."

Have you seen images of how the fans have received him in the French capital?

"Yes, I've seen some videos on social media. It is normal for what the tournament means to him. It takes two years without playing it. People are looking forward to Rafa and the reception was what he deserves, it even could have been much more."

Since winning the US Open in 2022, you have always been one of the favourites in the Grand Slams. Do you feel like the underdog this time?

"It's not that I feel good or bad. I don't have the same level of experience as in previous years or as I would have liked, but I consider myself a player who adapts very well and who picks up the rhythm very quickly. I'm not going to say that I consider myself the favourite for Roland Garros, far from it, but I still think that I have options to win it. We will see how I feel in the next few days. There are many players who are on the list to win. My name is on that list."

You experienced cramps last year in the semi-finals with Novak Djokovic. Was it your worst moment as a professional on a tennis court?

"I wouldn't say it was my worst moment, but it was definitely one of the worst. I was at a very high level of tennis. I believed that I had options to win that match and to win Roland Garros. It was a magnificent match against Djokovic and that it ended that way in the last two sets gave me a lot of anger and sorrow. I always say that every cloud has a silver lining. I said that I had to learn from that situation and I did."

When you step on the central Roland Garros court, do you get goosebumps?

"It's not that I get goosebumps, but I do get moments in my head, the desire increases, the adrenaline, what has happened on that court and what can happen in the future. That does come to my mind and I hope it happens. La Chatrier is an incredible, wonderful court and I hope one day I can play a final there."