J. SINNER/C. Alcaraz
7-6, 7-5
THE MODERATOR: We'll go straight to questions for Carlos.
Q. Now we know that indoors you can fight really close with Jannik. I'm wondering if you expected this? In general, did you see the improvements that Jannik talked about after the final of the US Open, if he proved them today to you on the court?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, first of all, I never doubt about myself. I never doubt about my level on indoor court. I didn't doubt about playing and fighting toe to toe with Jannik on indoor court.
I thought at the beginning of the match, I thought right after just this match that I can beat him, that I can compete against him here. I didn't surprise at all that I was really close. It was just about the tennis.
I'm just really happy with the performance that I did today. I'm pretty sure that it's going to keep growing up, my level on indoor court.
Obviously I felt the improvements of Jannik. I said many times, I think a player like him, he always come back stronger from the loses. He always learn from the loses.
Once again, he has shown everybody that he did it. Especially in the serves, putting so much pressure on you. It's really difficult to playing against him obviously.
Q. Small details, as you mentioned. After the match, do you have precisely all the details that were key? I guess you analyze all your matches against Jannik, to know how to play him the next time. How do you do that? Is it you and Juan Carlos behind the screen? How do you work on debriefing the match and the small details?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it's totally different when you see a match from outside than inside. Obviously we are going to put all our feelings on the table. We will discuss about it, obviously. I will tell them how I felt on court, what I did wrong, or what I think I did wrong (smiling). They will tell me how they saw the match, my weaknesses, my good points, my good things. We will try to be better on that.
I have few in mind already, which I already told them. The season is almost over, so we have the pre-season already in the corner. I will try to put everything to be better on that pre-season to start the season even stronger.
But, as I said, it was details. I will try the next time that the details are going to come to my side.
Q. Towards the end of the first set you took a medical timeout. What was that injury? How much did that affect you for the rest of the match?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, I felt something the hamstring after trying to catch one serve. I could say didn't affect me too much, to be honest, because I could run well, I could go to the balls well.
Obviously, the thoughts about how is going to be if I do crazy things that I'm used to doing, how it's going to be, those thoughts were in my mind sometimes. But I could play well.
Don't get me wrong, because I'm not going to say I could play better or I could do something better if my hamstring were well. I could play a really good tennis with it. The lose is because he deserved it.
Q. Related to the injury, you started to have a different game plan after that, getting more aggressive, comings more to the net. Is it something that you were prepared for? And are you going to play Davis Cup or not?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I didn't change the plan because of the injure. I change it because I felt that I had to do something else. I'm trying to be as aggressive as I can on court every match, but especially I think even more against Jannik. Every time that I can, just trying to go forward.
It works, to be honest, because I was a break up. I was serving well. That game I think was 3-2, I don't remember actually, but in the middle of the second set, I was up in the game. Few mistakes that I didn't have to do it, to be honest.
In general, I think it was a great plan that I did today. That's why I'm really happy with the level and the performance that I did today, because I think I did not too many things wrong, which is great.
But yeah, the Davis Cup, yeah, I'm heading off to Bologna tomorrow.
Q. Was this the most hostile environment you played in? You're always used to have the crowd for you. I think this is one of the few, few places in the world where you don't have most of the crowd for you. Did it affect you? What is the most difficult environment you played in?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: First of all, they didn't affect me at all. There were sometimes that I really even like it, feeling this energy, even though I'm not going to say 'against me'. It wasn't against me, it was more cheering for him. I like to feel this kind of energy, this environment, even though if it wasn't cheering for me. I think he deserved that energy from the crowd.
I would say, I haven't talked too much about it, but the most difficult match that I have ever played in my career with the crowd was in Paris Bercy 2021. I will not forget it in my whole life because it was a (indiscernible). I grew up a lot from that match. But that match was the most difficult match that I have ever played with the crowd (smiling).
Q. It was obviously a close match. Not much separated the two. If you had to indicate what made the difference, what would you say? Was it not getting the set point in the first? Was it giving the break back in the second? Was there something else that made the difference?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I didn't take the opportunities he brought me in the match in the first place, let's say. The set point in the first set, I was returning pretty well. The second set I was returning pretty well. But he came up with a second serve 185, 190 that surprised me, to be honest. After that, I think I had few points that I could have win in the tiebreak that I lost it.
Obviously in the second set, break up. It was 30-15 serving that I didn't make it. Right now I have some points and some shots on my mind. For example, the backhand volley that I missed. I missed a few of the backhand volleys. I made a few not really well ones, which I'm really disappointed in that places.
I would say that was the key because it was a really important moments that I didn't finish the point with the backhand volley. I make him to making the passing or making the lob or making whatever. I think that was a really important shot that I didn't do well today.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports