Reassured by his right-hand man, Alcaraz knows what to expect from Struff: "I know his game".
After two very quiet matches (9 games lost in all) in which he was able to reassure himself about the state of his right arm, Carlos Alcaraz faces his first test of the tournament on Tuesday. In the last 16, it's Jan-Lennard Struff who awaits him. A player the Spaniard is already familiar with, as it was against him that he won his second consecutive title here last year (victory 6-4, 3-6, 6-3).
During his appearance at the press conference, the world number 3 began by talking about his physical state: "I'm feeling very well, I'm moving well and my forearm isn't giving me any problems, but I'm still wondering how it's going to go [...] I'm not playing at a low percentage, I'm playing differently. We're all used to seeing me hit my forehand at 200%, harder and harder, and sometimes Ferrero tells me I don't need to do that. Sometimes you just need to relax your hand and go forward. [...] I'm very happy with the way I hit my forehand: relaxed, forward and spinning the ball."
Asked about his future opponent, the Spaniard doesn't seem too worried: "I know Struff's level, I know his game, he's very good on serve and volley, has good groundstrokes. But I'm very happy with the level I'm playing at. At this level, I can do great things, even if that's not the priority right now. With this game, I'm going to give myself chances to have options, but I'm going to have to play at a good level and make him uncomfortable." (comments relayed by L'Equipe).
Struggles with injuries and lack of money: the double punishment for tennis players far from the Top 100 stars 
Tennis, Saudi Arabia’s new playground 
The outfit wars: how clothing contracts dominate the tennis business 
The impact of the war on tennis in Ukraine: financial aid, foundations, governing bodies and all‑round headaches 
On a lighter note they showed a slow motion forehand and follow through in his last match. The racket went well beyond 360 degrees rotation after contact. So far that at the end of the revolution he relaxed his grip on the racket so that it was loose in hand. If had held on tight it would have put a lot of stress on his wrist and forearm.