Carlos Alcaraz reached the second round much easier than expected, as his rival, the German Dominik Koepfer, was injured in the first game and was forced to retire midway through the second round. "I have come from many injuries. Now facing Carlos, the biggest challenge in tennis today, at Arthur Ashe, is going to be very special," the German had said before jumping onto center court. Little did he imagine how little that emotion would last.
Not even three minutes had passed into the game when, with a break point against him already in the first game, Koepfer let a ball from Murcia pass that was going long. Stepping wrong with his left foot, the German sprained his ankle 90 degrees. It seemed that this was going to be the end of the match, but after a medical time in which they treated the injury and bandaged his ankle, the injured man wanted to continue playing, so as not to disappoint an audience eager for tennis. He could only last an hour.
"It's not the best way to win a game," acknowledged Carlos Alcaraz. "Obviously I like hard battles and unfortunately today we couldn't. But at the same time I'm happy to go to the hotel earlier than we thought. That way we have more time to recover and we can go to bed earlier."
The Murcian was very satisfied with the sensations, albeit brief, that he had on the track and without caring about the expectations of defending the title in New York. "I have felt very good, very comfortable and playing at a high level. I don't think about winning the trophy, nor about what I did last year, but rather I focus on being at the same level, on having the same feelings. I don't I'm worried about the pressure that people put on me to win the championship".
As one of the Spanish athletes of the moment, Alcaraz could not avoid being asked about the Rubiales case. His response was clear and measured. "I have followed the matter. Obviously it is something that has caused a lot to be talked about. In Spain much more. We are here and we do not know everything that has been formed there in Spain, but that it has reached here already says the magnitude that it is" Alcaraz said, that the day of the World Cup final he was in Cincinnati, from where he traveled directly to New York.
The young tennis player, who had written a message of support for the Spanish women's soccer team on camera after their victory in the semifinals, ("Come on girls, go for the World Cup! Long live Spain!"), lamented that the actions de Rubiales will tarnish the great success of the soccer players. "I'm going to be honest. My opinion is that these are attitudes that a senior position does not have to show. It is the only opinion that I am going to give in this regard. We hope that it will be solved soon, since the women's team has made a historic achievement and that So much credit hasn't been given for what happened is a shame. That's my only reflection."
On Thursday, Alcaraz will face South African Lloyd Harris, with whom he has trained a few times but has never competed with. "We know how he plays, what his style is. We are going to try to see some of the last games he has played and from there see how the tactics will be."
