Alcaraz: “I still don’t trust my forearm completely”
The 20-year-old star is playing at a great level in Madrid but he still has some doubts regarding his forearm injury.
He had to withdraw from the Barcelona Open but his absence helped him to feature in Madrid and play at a high level. Carlos Alcaraz is playing some of his best tennis this year on the clay courts of the Spanish capital and is one of the main favorites alongside Jannik Sinner, Rafa Nadal, and Casper Ruud.
He dispatched Alexandr Shevchenko in this year’s debut in the event and had little trouble defeating Thiago Seyboth Wild in straight sets too. However, he prefers to be cautious despite being praised by the press and the fans after his first two games at the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz knows there’s plenty at stake in the event, as he won in Madrid the last couple of years and there are many points to defend in the ATP rankings. Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are now further in the standings after the Murcia native didn’t play in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
“When I hit a more aggressive forehand, it comes to mind how the forearm is going to react. I still don’t trust it completely, it’s there in my mind”, he said-
“Juanqui (Juan Carlos Ferrero) tells me to play relaxed and put my hand forward and that’s what I’m doing”, Alcaraz added.
Alcaraz vs Struff, a repeat of last year’s final
Alcaraz hopes his forearm won’t give him any problems in his upcoming matchup against Jan-Lennard Struff. The two-time major champion knows that the level of opposition will be higher against the German, who has been looking great over the last weeks.
Alcaraz and Struff played the Madrid Open final in 2023, with the Spaniard coming out on top in a hard-fought battle that required three sets (6-4 3-6 6-3).
Struff won the Munich Open last week, defeating the American Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the final. He enjoys playing at altitude and Madrid seems to be a tailor-made event for him.
Both men have played three times, with Alcaraz winning their two most recent matches. It will be the third consecutive time that the Madrid Open final will see a German player fighting for the title, as Alexander Zverev took on Alcaraz in 2022, a game the Hamburg-bred talent lost.