Carlos Alcaraz asked if he missed Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam as he discusses ‘doubts’
Carlos Alcaraz candidly admitted he did not miss his rival Jannik Sinner at the Rotterdam Open after his triumph in the Netherlands.
The four-time Grand Slam champion and top seed defeated No 3 seed Alex De Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the Rotterdam final to claim his maiden indoor title.
Alcaraz also saw off Botic van de Zandschulp, Andrea Vavassori, Pedro Martinez and Hubert Hurkacz during his run at the ATP 500 event.
The world No 3 was making his debut in Rotterdam, having competed in clay-court events in South America in February in previous seasons.
Jannik Sinner won the 2024 Rotterdam Open, but the world No 1 and three-time major winner chose not to defend his title at this year’s event.
Asked whether he missed the 23-year-old Italian in Rotterdam, Alcaraz said: “Not really (smiling).
“He decided to pull out last minute, I respect and understand his decision. It would have been great for the tournament to have a final between us, but now that I’m holding the trophy… no, I didn’t miss him!”
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The 21-year-old Spaniard also opened up about the doubts he experiences during matches.
“Sometimes I have doubts about what I have to do and the feelings change during the match,” Alcaraz explained.
“For example, today I felt good in the second set despite having lost it, while in the first I was a bit uncomfortable.
“This week I wanted to focus on being mentally strong even if I had downs during the match, to keep fighting and to keep moving forward despite everything. This tournament has helped me a lot with that.”
On winning his 17th career title and first indoors, Alcaraz added: “This title is special because it is the first one indoors and I have shown that I can play well on this type of court.
“I have remained focused throughout the match, even though I lost the second I was strong for the third. I felt some pressure, but I handled it very well.
“I’m happy because I knew I had the level to play well in these conditions. There are players who have a better game indoors, but I’ve managed to beat players like them and that gives me a lot of confidence.
“My best level will also come on this surface, I have to work on improving what I’ve trained for.”
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