The return, between doubts, of Carlos Alcaraz in Paris-Bercy: "It would be a lie to say that I am one hundred percent"

Two weeks after his defeat in the round of 16 in Shanghai, exacerbated by fatigue, Carlos Alcaraz appears in Paris-Bercy with the usual precautions at this point in the calendar. “I'm not going to say that I'm one hundred percent, that would be a lie at this time of year,” the Wimbledon winner announced on Monday.. With a delicate debut, against Roman Safiullin, and the bitter memories of his first two participations, Alcaraz admits that he will play his last Masters 1000 in 2023 with discomfort.

“After a long season everyone has physical problems. I feel some pain, but I have recovered well this week and I arrive with good feelings, well enough to have a good result,” he commented during his press conference in the French capital, in reference to his limping sole, which has already left him outside the Basel box.

In addition to Alcaraz's usual difficulties when starting tournaments, these physical difficulties are added.. “I notice them less than before,” explained the ATP number two, aware that after a “very demanding season, problems appear.”. In fact, the inflammation in his left foot prevented him from properly supporting himself when moving, which ended up affecting his gluteal muscles.

Bad memories

With this burden, Alcaraz will have to face Safiullin, a specialist on hard surfaces, where in recent weeks he has defeated Andy Murray or Alexander Zverev in Shanghai and Lorenzo Mussetti and Dan Evans in Chengdu. At 26 years old, the Russian seems to be in one of the best moments of his career and has entered the draw after beating Alexandre Muller in the qualifying round (7-6 [4], 6-3).

Likewise, the Murcian will have to leave behind his bad memories at the Palais Omnisports, where just a year ago he suffered a back injury when playing in the quarterfinals against Holger Rune. Even more frustrating was his experience in 2021, when the Parisian fans attacked him during his round of 16 match against Hugo Gaston. “I don't have good memories, but I try to forget everything that happened in the past. I focus on this year, on my feelings, which are very good. That's why I decided to come,” he confirmed.

After conquering the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Madrid, Alcaraz is presented as a great attraction in Paris-Bercy, where he could even recover the number one ranking. The most favorable scenario would be to lift the cup and Novak Djokovic not reach the final. The other is to play the last game and the Serbian does not reach the quarterfinals. His training on Sunday with Nole sparked great expectations in the City of Light, where much is also expected from Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev.