Carlos Alcaraz-killer Fabian Marozsan says he was inspired by Rafael Nadal, thanks father for staying by his side throughout tennis journey
Fabian Marozsan scored the upset of a lifetime on Monday, downing World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the third round of the 2023 Italian Open. Having had to go through the qualifiers, the Hungarian sent Alcaraz packing out of the tournament with a 6-3, 7-6(4) defeat.
Speaking at his press conference afterward, Marozsan, who is playing his first ever ATP Masters 1000 event, revealed that his idol growing up was Rafael Nadal. He went on to hail the 22-time Grand Slam champion's mentally, calling it the "best" in the sport.
"When I was younger, my idol was Nadal. I mean, we play little bit different game. I mean, he's not playing flat like me. Mentally I think he's the best in the sport. So, yeah, he's the best for me," Marozsan said.
Fabian Marozsan also stated that he would call his father immediately after the presser ended, and that he needed to thank him for being by his side every time. The Hungarian expressed hope of enjoying the emotional, victorious moment with his father.
"I still didn't check my phone, yeah, because I was in the physio and the gym and everything. Yeah, I will call him after this press conference. I will say big thank you for him because he was next to me every time. Yeah, I will call him and say thank you and we will enjoy this moment," Fabian Marozsan said.
The 23-year-old further disclosed that his father was his first coach, ever since he started playing at the age of five, and that he had learnt everthing he knew in tennis from him.
"I just started to play when I was five years old. I learned everything from my father. He was my first coach. Yeah, I just started to play tennis, some tournaments. I win something. When you just doing your things and you winning the tournaments, you just keep going and try to be better," Fabian Marozsan said.
"The goal for me was winning one match in the qualies" - Fabian Marozsan
Fabian Marozsan further claimed that coming into the Italian Open, his goal was to win just one match in the qualification rounds. Now that he has won five and reached the fourth round, the World No. 135 stated that he was "really, really happy" to have made it this far.
"Now, yeah, mostly I'm playing challenger tournaments. Now I'm maybe close to the top 100. This is my first ATP Masters tournament here. I'm really, really happy with this tournament. The goal for me was winning one match in the quallies. Now I just won five match maybe," Marozsan said.
"Yeah, first time I beat a top 100 player here in the first round. In the second one, I just beat Lehecka. He was seeded. It's a really good thing for me. Today now I just played against the No. 1, Alcaraz. I mean, it's not easy to say something. I'm really happy with this one," he added.
Up next, Marozsan will take on 15th seed Borna Coric on Tuesday.