Carlos Alcaraz began his 2024 Madrid Open journey with a remarkable win, despite not feeling completely at ease.
Alcaraz had been struggling with an arm issue leading up to the Madrid Open. He had to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open due to injury, causing a lot of pain.
His participation in the Madrid Open was uncertain, but he did eventually play his first-round match. He performed exceptionally well, defeating Alexander Shevchenko in two sets, although he confessed post-match that he wasn’t completely comfortable despite the victory.
While not ideal for fans to hear, Alcaraz appeared unfazed on the court, only conceding three games throughout.
“Coming into this week I’ve been doing good things in practice, getting harder let’s say, but today I’m not feeling comfortable playing my forehand 100%. I think playing at this level, I’m really happy to do it and I think I can [still] be competitive.”
Despite his discomfort with the forehand, Alcaraz’s backhand was particularly impressive. He consistently delivered crushing cross-court backhands that troubled Shevchenko.
Shevchenko struggled to handle the power of Alcaraz’s backhand, showcasing the value of his practice. While the forehand is deadly, having a strong backhand adds another dimension to his game.
“The last month I just practised slices, volleys and backhands so I think it worked pretty well today. That’s something that I was thinking about approaching this match, trying to hit the forehand really softer and trying to be aggressive with the backhand and trying to get to the net as soon as possible and I think I did a really good match in that part.”
