I think one year later, I’m totally different – Carlos Alcaraz before Canadian Open

Back in August 2022, Carlos Alcaraz had a mundane run at the Canadian Open, losing to America’s Tommy Paul 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the round of 32. After one year, Alcaraz is a US Open Champion and Wimbledon Champion and he is only 20 years old.

The youngster feels he has taken his learnings and now knows how to handle pressure in a better way. Alcaraz recently bested Novak Djokovic to win his maiden Wimbledon crown in a five-set thrilling contest.

Before the Canadian Open, Alcaraz is hopeful of having a deeper run in the tournament ahead of the all-important US Open, the last major of the year.

“I remember that I [did] not [have] a good run last year in Canada. I came this year to change it, hopefully to have a good run, better than last year. But one year later, I think I learned a lot from that situation on how to deal with the pressure, how to deal [with] everything,” Carlos Alcaraz told reporters.

“I have been playing in great stadiums in great rounds and I’m fighting for great things. I think that helped me a lot to grow up as a player, as a person, and I think one year later, I’m totally different,” he added.

The young Spaniard admitted he still gets goosebumps when he thinks about the last point he won at the US Open 2022 and Wimbledon 2023.

“There [are] some times that I think about the last point of the US Open, the last point of Wimbledon, and other great tournaments that I won, and I still can’t believe it and still get goosebumps, so it’s crazy,” he continued.

The 20-year-old is feeling optimistic before his second-round match after receiving a bye and said he felt positive energy from the crowd after his first practice session against Daniil Medvedev.

“Even if I haven’t achieved great things here yet, I have always felt a very positive energy,” Alcaraz said. “It’s great to be here. I had my first practice today with Medvedev and I felt the love from the people. They were screaming, ‘Carlitos. let’s go! Come on!’ It was my first practice and my first time here in Toronto, so it was special.”