Carlos
Alcaraz said Thursday he didn’t have time to celebrate winning the China Open because of the grueling tennis schedule, which included hurrying directly from the stadium to catch a flight to the ongoing Shanghai Masters. Alcaraz upset world number one Jannik Sinner over three hours and 21 minutes on Wednesday night in Beijing,
but by midday the next day, he was at a news conference in Shanghai. The 21-year-old has previously stated that the men’s tennis schedule is “going to kill us” and that “we have to do something about it,” but on Thursday, he appeared to temper his remarks.
The tennis calendar is so tight that we’re traveling from tournament to tournament with only one or two days before the tournament starts, which is challenging, but we have to get used to it,” the Spaniard explained.
He informed reporters that he had to bring all of his stuff to the stadium before the Beijing final and barely had time for a news conference and a shower before “running” to the airport.Carlos
“I just did everything in a rush… we arrived here in Shanghai super late, so I couldn’t sleep as much as I wanted,” he explained, adding that it was 4 a.m. (2000 GMT Wednesday) when he arrived in the eastern Chinese city.
Alcaraz’s opening match of the tournament will be on Saturday against Shang Juncheng, who became only the second Chinese player to win an ATP Tour singles championship last month with his victory at the Chengdu Open.
“I hope to keep playing the same way that I’m playing and let’s see what’s going to happen, but I’ll be ready.”Carlos
Sinner will also compete in Shanghai, and many regard the competition between the two as the new narrative of the men’s game.
Carlos”We are not close friends, but I think the respect that we have puts us in a position that we have a really good relationship,” Alcaraz explained to reporters on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic, who has won four wins in Shanghai and is aiming for his 100th singles championship, is also eyeing the trophy.
