“He was crazy fast, I couldn't believe it; he got to some balls that there's no one else on tour that's getting to them” - Tommy Paul in awe of Carlos Alcaraz following Canadian Open 2R win
Tommy Paul spoke highly of Carlos Alcaraz following their 2022 Canadian Open second-round match on Wednesday, with the American making a special mention of the Spaniard's speed on the court.
Paul was staring at a third consecutive second-round exit at the Canadian Masters when he faced match point in the second-set tiebreak. However, he dug deep to force a decider and came through the contest with a 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-3 win.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel after the victory, Paul said that it was a contest filled with high-level tennis and praised Alcaraz for his level and positive attitude.
"Yeah, definitely [a very entertaining match]. There was no real drops in in level in the match overall, it was just a lot of fun being on court," he said. "Carlos Alcaraz is a super nice kid, great sport win or lose, so I think we were just enjoying being out there."
The 25-year-old stated that Alcaraz's pace on the court and his effortless movement caught him by surprise.
"He was crazy fast on court today, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I knew he was quick but he got to some balls that there's no one else on tour that's getting to. He was hitting him like good balls back," Paul said.
Rublev
win in 10 months!✅ Rublev
✅ Berrettini
✅ Zverev
✅ Alcaraz
@TommyPaul1 digs deep for his fourth Top 🔟 win in 10 months!
#OBN22 https://t.co/lylPHfP7aB
Paul also touched on how his coach's words when he was down and on the brink of exit helped turn the contest around.
"I think it was like 4-1 or 4-2 down. I was over on my coach's side and he was like 'you dropped your level a little bit, you got to bring it back up' and that's what I realized him going up a break in the second was him maintaining his level and me dropping a little bit. That's what it was," Paul explained.
“It was the first time that I felt that pressure and I couldn't handle it” - Carlos Alcaraz on his Canadian Open defeat to Tommy Paul
The defeat to Tommy Paul was Carlos Azcaraz's first hardcourt outing since he beat Casper Ruud to seal his maiden Masters 1000 title in Miami in early April. A lot has changed since, with the Spaniard entering the Canadian Open as the World No. 4 and the second seed.
However, the 19-year-old could not cope with the pressure of expectations and confessed to the same in his post-match press conference.
“All I can say is that it was the first time that I couldn't handle the pressure. I felt the pressure to be the No. 2 seed in this kind of tournament, No. 4 in the world. It was the first time that I felt that pressure and I couldn't handle it,” Carlos Alcaraz said, adding, “I have to train, I have to be ready to have this pressure, to have this kind of moments and to learn how to handle it.”
He will shift his focus to the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. He made his debut at the Masters 1000 tournament last year, coming through the qualification rounds before losing to Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the main draw.