Alcaraz, ready for clay court: "It's time to get our socks dirty again"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 5 Apr 2026 | 18.11

Alcaraz, ready for the dirt: "It's time to dirty our socks again". Photo: Gettyimages

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Carlos Alcaraz is already prepared to defend his title at the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo. The Spaniard is now in Monaco to kick off a clay court tour where he defends three titles (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Roland Garros), 4,300 points, and the world number one spot. However, the goal for the Murcian is to find the best possible feelings on the clay.

Coincidentally, the last tournament Alcaraz played on clay was his historic Roland Garros final against Jannik Sinner, where he saved three championship points and secured his second title in Paris. Therefore, the El Palmar native missed playing on clay, especially after his last American hardcourt tour (Indian Wells and Miami), where his engine stalled after his sensational start with the Australian Open and Doha titles.

Alcaraz is already at the luxurious Monte Carlo tennis club, where he spoke to the media before his debut against Sebastián Báez or Stan Wawrinka. Regarding his aspirations for this tournament, his eagerness to play on clay again, the closeness of the fans, and the excess of cameras, he talked in the press conference, in statements collected by Univers Tennis.

Carlos Alcaraz is ready to start the 2026 clay court tour

"It is probably one of the best surfaces, without a doubt. I miss clay every time the season ends. I miss it a lot. It had been a long time since I played on clay; it felt like an eternity."

"The first sessions I did were to get back into rhythm, to tell myself, 'Alright, it's time to dirty my socks again.' Honestly, it's an incredible feeling to be back on clay."

He admits to maintaining certain routines during tournament weeks

"There are certain things I like to do always the same way. For example, I try to use the same locker if I won the tournament the previous year. But this year they took away the locker from last year, so I don't know... But yes, I have some habits, exercises that I like to do the same way all week."

For now, he is not thinking about defending the title

"It's a new year, new sensations, new things to improve, new things I think about in training and matches. I'm going to try to prepare as well as possible for the first match and for the coming week. I'm not thinking about defending a title. It's about how I feel, and right now, I'm just trying to have good feelings."

Against the proliferation of cameras everywhere in tournaments

"For the fans, it's great. They love to see what happens behind the scenes, what we do, how the facilities are inside the tournaments. But for the players, it's a bit strange because we no longer have a place to relax, as we are constantly thinking that there are cameras and everyone is watching us."

"Having cameras so close, being able to see what we are seeing on our phones, seems excessive to me. Already, we don't have much privacy in tournaments, and I think this is too much. We should have spaces where we can be alone without being filmed."

Forever grateful to all the fans

"I feel very loved wherever I go, and I am very grateful for it. The people who watch me on television, those who travel to see my matches, my training, to see me in general, it's amazing to me."

"I know that sometimes I don't have much time to give, so whenever I can, I think that's what I should do. The least I can do is give them time: sign autographs, take photos. I could spend the whole day with them because they deserve it," states a Carlos Alcaraz ready to fight on the clay. First stop, Monte Carlo.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz, preparado para la tierra batida: "Es hora de ensuciarse los calcetines otra vez"

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