World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz makes honest confession after win over Quinn in Barcelona Open debut

Carlos Alcaraz captured the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 title on Sunday, a result that boosted his ATP ranking and moved him up to World No. 2. However, he’s not content with just that achievement, and his focus has already shifted to the Barcelona Open, where he opened his campaign on Tuesday with a win over Ethan Quinn.

“It was a difficult match for me,” Alcaraz admitted during his post-match press conference, as shared on the official ATP Tour website. “I just had to deal with the pressure and the nerves.”

Those nerves were evident, especially in the second set, as Carlos had to dig deep to overcome Quinn—currently ranked World No. 126 in the ATP rankings—by a score of 6-2, 7-6. “I’m really happy to have won in straight sets, and give myself a bit of energy for the next matches,” the Spanish player explained.

“It’s a really special tournament for me. So I’m really happy to play again here, in front of my people,” said Carlos about the Barcelona Open. This is the first of two tournaments he’ll play on Spanish soil this month, with the Madrid Masters 1000 set to begin next week.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a backhand during the semi final match between against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Beyond the home-court support and fan energy, these tournaments tend to bring out the best in Alcaraz. He’s a two-time champion of the Barcelona Open, winning in 2022 and 2023, and has also claimed the Madrid Masters 1000 twice in the same years. However, in 2024, he hasn’t yet been able to repeat those feats—making the opportunity to earn points now critical in his pursuit of the World No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.

see also

ATP Rankings: How things stand after Carlos Alcaraz’s win in Monte Carlo

Alcaraz knows he has to capitalize on clay season

The Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 marked Carlos Alcaraz’s first tournament on clay this season. He’s a dominant force on the surface, and lifting the trophy there gave him a crucial confidence boost heading into the rest of the clay-court stretch.

“The clay season is short and really intense,” said Alcaraz. “You have to be at 100 per cent in every match, every tournament. Two days ago I playing a final in Monte-Carlo… It’s different conditions here, so I couldn’t rest at all, that’s why saving energy is really important right now.”

Alcaraz’s next challenge

Following his victory over Ethan Quinn in his Barcelona Open debut, Carlos Alcaraz will have two days of much-needed rest before his next match. In the round of 16, he’ll face Laslo Djere, World No. 80 in the ATP rankings, who entered the tournament through the qualifiers and defeated Arthur Rinderknech in the round of 32.