Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz hurriedly left the court to catch a flight to Shanghai to compete in the Masters 1000 tennis tournament taking place there.
In the China Open final, Alcaraz defeated world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a match that lasted 3 hours and 21 minutes on the night of October 2 in Beijing. But by noon today (October 3), the world No. 2 tennis player was present at a press conference in Shanghai.
The 21-year-old tennis player had previously warned that the tennis schedule was “killing us and something had to be done about it.” But at a press conference this afternoon, Alcaraz held back his criticism.
Carlos Alcaraz said hastily: “The schedule is very tight, we have to move from one tournament to another just 1-2 days before the tournament starts. It is difficult but we have to get used to it.”
The new China Open champion – Alcaraz revealed that he had to carry all his luggage to the stadium before the final match in Beijing. At the same time, he only had time for a press conference and a shower before “running” to the airport on time.
“I did everything in a hurry… we arrived in Shanghai very late so I couldn’t sleep as much as I wanted,” Alcaraz said after arriving in the eastern Chinese city at 4 a.m.
The Spaniard will play his first match on October 5 against Shang Juncheng, who became the second Chinese player to win an ATP Tour singles title when he won the Chengdu Open.
Carlos Alcaraz was quick to comment: “I will approach the match the same way I approach every other match, I will prepare as best I can. I hope to continue playing the way I am and see what happens. I am ready.”
Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner will also compete in the Shanghai Masters. The competition between these two top rivals is currently considered the new story of the world men’s tennis.
Sharing about his opponent, Alcaraz emphasized: “We are not best friends, but I think the respect we have for each other has put us in a really good relationship.”
Also a candidate to lift the Shanghai Masters trophy this time is former world number 1 Novak Djokovic. Serbian fourth seed Djokovic has won the Shanghai Masters four times and is aiming for his 100th singles title.