Carlos Alcaraz Reveals Why He Was ‘Unhappy’ During Practice Session in Vienna

Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his Vienna Open campaign with a straight-set victory over Karen Khachanov. Before this season, Alcaraz had not competed in Vienna since 2021.

Alcaraz, who is playing as a wild card, will lock horns with Nikoloz Basilashvili or Jurij Rodionov in the next round. Following his opening-round win, he was asked at the press conference why he looked unhappy during his practice session. The Spaniard practiced with Andrey Rublev, who, according to Alcaraz, was tough to play.

Of course. Sometimes it’s really difficult to see the reality of things. And when I was practicing with Rublev, I lost 6-2, but I was playing good. But he was unplayable. Ripping every forehand, hitting the ball really hard with the backhand. I couldn’t be aggressive at all, not even one or two shots.

Carlos Alcaraz said (H/T: The Tennis Gazette)

Rublev lost his opening-round match to Tommy Paul. Had he won, he would have faced Alcaraz had both reached the quarterfinals.

So that’s why I left the court a little bit unhappy. But at the same time, thinking, alright, I’m doing the right things. Sometimes in tennis you’re playing against someone that they try not to let you play sometimes. But those days I just left the court thinking about what I’ve done great. And I think that day I did a lot of good things, to be honest. So I just learned a lot from those days as well.

Carlos Alcaraz added

The Russian ace trails 1-5 in the head-to-head matchups against Alcaraz, with the lone defeat coming in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Madrid Open.

Alcaraz is chasing his fourth title of the season in Vienna. After winning back-to-back titles at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, he defended his title at the Japan Open but later suffered a third-round upset at the Shanghai Masters. The Japan Open title was his first since returning from the wrist injury he suffered at the Barcelona Open.

Carlos Alcaraz on why Alexander Zverev deserved to be World No.1

Alexander Zverev has been pretty consistent this season, and he also managed to keep injuries at bay, unlike his fellow top players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner is nursing a knee injury that has now forced him to call time on this season after his Wimbledon title defense.

He defeated Zverev in the final. Before reaching his first Wimbledon final, Sascha ended his Grand Slam title drought with a five-set win over Flavio Cobolli. He doubled his title tally with a four-set win over Ben Shelton in the US Open final.

Because Sinner has ended his season, the German will become the newest World No.1 player. Amid criticism that Zverev doesn’t deserve the two Majors and the No.1 ranking, he once again found a supporter in the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

Well deserved, to be honest. Tennis is not only about stepping on the court and playing, and trying to play better, or the best player who plays that day is the best. It is about the consistency you have during the whole year.

Carlos Alcaraz said ahead of the Vienna Open (H/T: Tennis365)

Zverev has so far played four finals this season. In addition to the three Grand Slam finals, he reached the championship match of the Madrid Open, where he lost to Sinner. Zverev lost every match he has played against Sinner or Alcaraz this season. The Wimbledon defeat, in fact, was Zverev’s 10th consecutive defeat to Sinner.

Zverev is also in Vienna. He overcame Martin Landaluce to schedule his next match against Tallon Griekspoor.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Explains Why Playing at Swiss Indoors Will Be ‘Easier’ Than Other Events