Alcaraz and the change that made him go from doubts to determination: "I started playing more aggressively"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 9 Apr 2025 | 17.17

Alcaraz and the change that made him go from doubts to determination: "I started playing more aggressively". Photo: Getty Images

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Carlos Alcaraz lifted a huge weight off his shoulders by securing his first victory at the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo. The Spaniard starts the clay court swing with a soothing win, although alarms rang again after a first set that reminded of the Alcaraz seen in Miami. He had no choice but to react, and he did it his way: with aggressive, clear, and convincing tennis.

Sufficient to sweep aside Fran Cerúndolo (3-6, 6-0, 6-1) who vanished from the center court in Monte Carlo and couldn't respond to the storm of play displayed by the El Palmar native. Regarding this victory, the shifts after the first set, and about his next opponent, Daniel Altmaier, the world number three spoke in a press conference and also mentioned missing clay courts a lot.

A new Alcaraz after the first set

"I think I started to play more aggressively. I think in the first set I just tried to get into the match, find a good rhythm, play and try to engage in long rallies. I think I made many errors at the beginning of the match and let him dominate the game. So in the second set, I wanted to play more aggressively. I started to return closer to the baseline, putting pressure on his serve, and trying to be as aggressive as possible."

The beginnings of the tours are always challenging moments

"The early rounds in all tournaments are never easy, and then switching to clay, which I haven't touched in a long time, so it's been tough. But I think the serve here is not as crucial as probably on grass or hard courts, so I knew I would have difficulties on service games, and just keep calm and move forward. So I think I did pretty well, saving break points in the first game of the second set, and after that, I think I started to feel more comfortable and play my tennis."

What he missed most about clay courts

"I think the tough battles, and as I say, the serve is not as crucial as on hard courts, so I think that's pretty good for me. I think we play almost every point, which makes the match progress even more than on other surfaces. I also like long rallies and getting a bit dirty on my socks. That's what I miss, seeing good tennis. I think on clay, you can see real tennis because as I said, it's not just about seeing big serves or whatever, or points, and just one or two shots. On clay, you see long rallies. For example, yesterday, 48 rallies. That's what I like, watching tennis and playing here on clay."

His first encounter with his next opponent, Daniel Altmaier

"He's playing very well. I think he has won two important and really good matches. He's very confident right now. He's a tough clay-court player, so his tennis, his style, suits clay quite well. So it's going to be a very tough match. I have to focus on each point and each shot. I will try to learn from this match to do things right and improve on the things I didn't play well today."

Feelings after winning his first match of his career in Monte Carlo

"I won't say I was nervous about it, but yes, it's one of the few tournaments where I haven't won any matches, so I feel great. I finally got my first victory and I move on. As I said, this is a very nice tournament where I want to go far, and yes, I think this year it's a relief to have achieved my first win," stated Alcaraz, who rediscovered his tennis, despite the scare of the first set.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz y el cambio que le hizo pasar de las dudas a la determinación: "Empecé a jugar más agresivo"