"I'm winning all the time because I'm smiling" - Carlos Alcaraz on his key to success ahead of French Open campaign
Carlos Alcaraz has an infectious smile which is always on display. The Spaniard claimed his smile is the key to everything for him and he keeps winning matches and titles because he keeps smiling.
Alcaraz has been struggling with injuries throughout 2024. He has made several deep runs into tournaments this year but has also faced multiple withdrawals due to injury. His lone tournament win of the season came when he won the Indian Wells Masters in March.
In April, Alcaraz faced defeat against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal of the Madrid Open. The Spaniard later withdrew from the Italian Open citing his injured right forearm. Now, he has arrived in Paris for the French Open and his trademark smile continues to greet those he meets.
During a press conference, the 21-year-old was asked if he keeps smiling because he keeps winning or if it is the other way around.
"I am winning all the time because I am smiling. And, I always said that smiling for me is the key of everything. I enjoy being in this kind of a stadium, this kind of tournament, cities. That's the most important for me, to enjoy and that's why I smile all the time," Alcaraz replied.
"I’m still thinking about it when I'm hitting forehands" - Carlos Alcaraz is still unsure about his injury ahead of the 2024 French Open
While announcing his withdrawal from the Italian Open, Carlos Alcaraz mentioned that he has "a muscle edema in my pronator teres." It was a result of aggravating his existing right forearm injury.
After a break of over three weeks since he last participated in a competitive match, the Spaniard will play in the 2024 French Open. He said that he does not feel pain during practice but admitted he still needs to be cautious.
“When I do the tests, when I’m talking with the doctors, my team, they explain to me what I have... I listen to them, but I forget," Alcaraz said (via Yahoo.com).
“What I remember is they told me that this is not going to be serious, it’s not going to take too much time. But here we are, recovering. I’m not feeling any pain in the practices when I step on the court. But I’m still thinking about it when I'm hitting forehands,” he added.
Alcaraz will begin his French Open campaign on Sunday, 26 May, playing his first match against American Jeffrey John Wolf on the Court Phillipe-Chartier.