Carlos Alcaraz believes he has ‘done a good job‘ with his fitness after crashing out of the US Open at the end of last month.
The world No.3 suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit in over three years after a shock second round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp. Alcaraz played only one Tour-level hardcourt match leading up to New York, which was in Cincinnati where he was beaten in three sets by Gael Monfils. Compared to previous seasons, he spent less time in North America due to the Paris Olympics where he claimed a silver medal on the clay after losing in the final to Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz hopes to bounce back this week in the Davis Cup Finals group stages. Spain is in Group B along with the Czech Republic, France and Australia. All of the ties are taking place in Valencia.
“It has been a tour that I expected to do better,” Alcaraz replied when asked about his recent performance at the US Open.
“I have not managed to play at the level that I would have liked, but in the end, it is very difficult to perform at the level that you want every day and you have to be prepared to accept things as they come.
“I think I lacked preparation after a very intense summer, with few days of rest, disconnection and training for the American tour and to get there in the best possible way. It is an experience from which to learn for the future.”
Leading up to his return to competition, the 21-year-old disconnected from the sport by taking a brief break. He was spotted at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza along with Matteo Berrettini.
“It was about doing things that you like and enjoy, I had a few days to calm my mind,” he explained. “But we (Alcaraz’s team) thought that the best thing was to go back to training and get physically very well.”
So far in his career, Alcaraz has only played three Davis Cup matches, which were all during 2022. In the competition, he has beaten South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon and Romania’s Marius Copil. However, he lost to Felix Aiger-Aliassime when his country took on Canada.
“Right now I feel good, motivated to play the Davis Cup at home. I really want to feel the affection of the people, to experience another Davis Cup, since I have not been able to play many.” He said.
“Mentally I am very motivated and eager to continue improving. Physically I have done a good job since I lost in New York to be at an optimal level to face the Davis Cup and what is coming.”
This week 16 nations are competing in the Davis Cup Finals group stage with teams split into four groups of four. Besides Valencia, there are also events taking place in Bologna (Italy) at the Unipol Arena, Zhuhai (China) at the Hengqin Tennis Center and Manchester (United Kingdom) at the Manchester Arena. The top two nations of each group will progress to the finals in November.
