“Not everything is rosy being Number 1,” Carlos Alcaraz opens up about the pressure of being at the top ahead of his Argentina Open semifinals match

Carlos Alcaraz has so far won two Grand Slam titles.

“Not everything is rosy being Number 1,” Carlos Alcaraz opens up about the pressure of being at the top ahead of his Argentina Open semifinals match

Carlos Alcaraz (via Roland Garros)

Carlos Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title at age 19 has admitted that it is not rosy to be World No.1 or No. 2. The Spanish star became World No.1 as a teenager and ended the year in the same position.

Alcaraz matured faster on the court than most young generational players. He won his first Grand Slam in the 2022 US Open and defeated Novak Djokovic to win the Wimbledon championship.

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He was World No.1 for over 15 weeks in 2023 but lost the place to a flying Djokovic, who won three out of the four major tournaments. During a press conference, following his quarterfinal victory at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, the Spaniard explained that it was not easy to manage the pressure of being at the top of the ATP rankings.

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Here is what he said:

Things are not easy when you are at the top. Not everything is rosy being number 1 or number 2. You always have to be on top of your game, be constantly strong and give your best at all times. I know that all my rivals are working very hard to be better than me.
Carlos Alcaraz said

Carlos Alcaraz has yet to win a title since his Wimbledon triumph last July. This year, he lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. However, in his second tournament at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, he made it to the semifinals after defeating Andrea Vavassori.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Andrea Vavassori to book a spot in the semi-finals

Carlos Alcaraz booked a place in the semifinals of the Argentina Open after defeating Andrea Vavassori in the quarterfinals. The Spanish star won the Italian 7-6 (7-1) 6-1. The first seed fought hard against a resolute Vavassori for an hour in the first set, before producing an excellent tiebreak serve to edge victory.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (image via IMAGO)

It was a dominant second set for Alcaraz in the second set. The 20-year-old won the first two serves of Vavassori before a powerful backhand. He is now two wins away from retaining the Argentina Open title.

Alcaraz said after defeating Vavassori:

I think in the first set he played such a high level. It was really tough to return his serve and challenging conditions with the wind. It was tough.
Carlos Alcaraz said

The World No.2 will face Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the semifinals on Saturday night. Nicolas Jarry had ended Stan Wawrinka’s supposed fairytale tournament in the second round.

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