Carlos Alcaraz zeroed in on his own legacy not the big three

Novak Djokovic is No 1

Carlos Alcaraz says that his only focus is his own game and legacy and not how he stacks up against the big three.

Alcaraz is in the midst of a deep run at the Rio Open after winning the Argentina Open last week.

He is constantly asked about taking over from the golden generation of modern tennis.

Alcaraz, however, says that he doesn’t have the time to think about matching players who have been around for two decades.

He is instead enjoying his time in South America and focusing on getting back to his best.

“I have a special affection here in Rio. The public supported me a lot. My moments on the court in Rio were spectacular and today was proof of that.”

Alcaraz feels that fans who turn out to tournaments want to see great tennis, not speculate on how good players are against the big three.

“I think people want to see joy, incredible shots,” he said.

“I don’t think about being the player people want to see after the Big 3, I just want to be who I am and transmit joy on the court.”

Alcaraz was delighted to reach another final but said that he had simply set out to start playing again.

He added: “I’m so proud of myself. To be in a final again in my second tournament is a really special moment for me. I couldn’t ask for a better start of 2023.

It was noted that Alcaraz showed some discomfort during his run in Rio but the Spaniard dismissed any concerns claiming tha pain is part of being a tennis professional.

“I don’t worry about that,” she said.

“It’s a tennis player’s life. Playing with some pain is normal for a tennis player.

“Even more if we are playing win by win, no break for almost 14 days in a row. It’s normal. I’m going to take care of that and go into the final 100 per cent.”

He was delighted to battle into the final after getting through a tough semi-final against Nicholas Jarry.

“It was a really tough first set, coming back from a break down,” Alcaraz said. “And then playing a tie-break that I didn’t really play well, it’s tough to come back.

“Then I came back from 0/40 in the first game [of the second set]. It was really tough. But [I kept] a positive attitude to stay there and [took] my chances… It’s all I can say. But honestly, I don’t know how I did it.”

If Alcaraz wins, he will move level on points with world No 1 Novak Djokovic but will not prevent the Serbian from retaining the top spot for at least another week.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz is a beautiful addition to the sport says Monica Seles

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