Alcaraz motivated but anxious: "I always get stage fright when I play here".
Carlos Alcaraz didn't exactly reassure his fans on Monday. Facing Mark Lajal (ranked 269th), he needed almost 2h30 to win (7-6, 7-5, 6-2).
Interviewed after his inaugural success, the Spaniard admitted to feeling relatively anxious at the prospect of playing on Wimbledon's Center Court again: "I always feel a lot of nervousness here. Walking on Centre Court here at Wimbledon... It's the most beautiful court I've ever played on. I always get nervous when I play here.
I trained for 45 minutes on Thursday and it's the first time I've felt nervous in training, just because I'm playing here. I'm happy and privileged to play on this field."