Alcaraz confirms stomach discomfort: "I have not been feeling well"

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Carlos Alcaraz made his debut at the ATP Finals 2024 with a performance that raised certain question marks. How to explain a match full of unforced errors, with the feeling that energy was completely absent? Was there something we didn't know? Indeed, the player from Murcia confirmed in a press conference that he is suffering from stomach pains and arrived in Turin feeling less than 100%, in words collected by our colleagues from Ubitennis, where he also dared to talk about mental fatigue and the speed of the courts.

- Full explanation of the physical issues he has been dealing with

"Yes, I got sick before coming here. When I came, the training sessions were going well, I was feeling good despite being sick, I could compete, I could play, engage in long rallies. I was hopeful that with the days it would get better, but today, I don't know if it was nerves from playing the first match, but I didn't feel quite well. My stomach limited me a lot from being able to play and feel comfortable. I could have done better, yes. These are things I have to learn; we won't feel good in every match we play in a year, but it has made it very difficult for me in rallies, in recovering between points, the issue of not being able to breathe well and feeling suffocated, that has limited me a lot. I don't like to talk about these things because it sounds like excuses and devalues the work and level of Casper, but in the end, I have to say how I feel."

- Mental fatigue after a very demanding year

"I dare say that all players are mentally tired. If someone tells you they are fresh, they are lying (smiles). Some deal with it better than others. I am tired. Mentally, I am tired. It's many matches in a very tight schedule, in a demanding year with not too many resting days, there are few periods when you can rest at home. You feel that after finishing a week or a tour, you have two or three days of rest and then you have to go play tournaments elsewhere in the world. Since the beginning of the year, you accumulate hours and days, and you arrive at this point tired. I think I am much better this year than last year, but I have to find a way to play good tennis while being mentally tired."

- Court speed in Turin

"In this case, I didn't feel well myself; the court, fantastic, to tell you the truth. There has been a very large and abrupt change between Paris and here, which needs to be improved, that after a week there are such abrupt changes in the courts, but this helps the spectator, more rallies, more excitement; personally, I like these types of slightly slower courts. Paris was an exaggeration, there wasn't much tennis seen, or at least that's how it seemed to me. Not having rallies, playing only with the serve is not something that catches attention. Personally, I liked this court and its speed."

- On Medvedev's statements about the balls and how it's difficult to endure rallies with such heavy balls

"In the end, balls have a lot to do with it. We need to find a way so that in certain courts, balls that help the court are used. These types of balls on this court, after a game... you can't play anymore. The ball gets very, very big, and it's impossible to hit a winner. It's true that there are more rallies, more attractive to the spectator, but for us, when the balls become like that after a game and it's difficult to move them... it's kind of strange. Something needs to be done about this issue, choosing the right balls for the surface. I agree with Medvedev, depending on the ball you play with, it's hard to find openings."

- Do you see yourself reaching the semifinals right now?

"Well, after today, I don't want to think too much. If I base it on today's feelings, it's complicated to think about the semifinals. The good thing about tennis is that you can have very bad feelings one day and the next day have completely different feelings; maybe on match day, I'll play one of the best matches of the year... who knows. I can only say that many players have lost the first match in the Finals and ended up winning. I, for example, last year didn't have good feelings in my first match and ended up reaching the semifinals with a tough draw. I don't want to base it on today's feelings, and I don't want to think about whether I will advance or not; I want to take it day by day, hopefully feel better and then we'll see what happens in the next match. I will focus and prepare as best as possible."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz confirma molestias en el estómago: "No me he encontrado bien"