Carlos Alcaraz: “I’m not thinking about defending the US Open title”

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz, having sailed through the opening round of the final Grand Slam of the year, has made it clear that he is not currently mulling over the prospect of defending his US Open title.

On Tuesday, August 29, at the legendary Arthur Ashe Stadium, Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the second round of the 2023 US Open when his opponent Dominik Koepfer threw in the towel due to an ankle injury. The Spaniard had the upper hand with a score of 6-2, 3-2, when the match ended.

In the second round, Carlos Alcaraz will face South Africa's Lloyd Harris on Thursday.

In a press conference after the match, Carlos Alcaraz talked about how happy he was to be back at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York after his title run last year. The 20-year-old said that he is not thinking about defending his US Open title or the pressure that comes with it. Instead, he is focused on playing his best game, like he did last year.

"Well, I was excited to play my first round here in the US Open. I mean, it was great to step on court again in the Arthur Ashe after such a great run last year. I was excited to come back. I'm not thinking about defending the title. I was not thinking about I was the champion last year. I just focus on play my best level, to recover the level that I played last year, try to do same things that I did last year."

"That's the only thing that I'm thinking right now. I try to be apart about all the pressure people put of me about the defending champion," Carlos Alcaraz said.

“That’s my goal, I am working for that”: Carlos Alcaraz on regaining the world No.1 spot

US Open Tennis

Novak Djokovic, the tournament's No. 2 seed, will unseat Carlos Alcaraz as the world's highest ranked player after the 2023 US Open is done and the Spaniard is well aware of that. In the same interview, Carlos Alcaraz said that with several tournaments left in the season, he will try to recover the No.1 ranking as quickly as possible, which is his goal for now.

“Well, right now it's a goal for me honestly. I said before that we are having a really good battle for the No. 1, Novak and I. I knew that he was going to recover the No. 1 after US Open. When the tournament is over, I will try to recover as soon as possible. That's my goal. I am working for that. The season has a lot of tournaments until the year is over. I'll try to recover it before the tournament end, before the year end,” he stated.

With Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz bringing their A-game to the court, tennis fans are in for a real treat. If fate aligns and they face off in the US Open final, it is bound to be a clash for the ages. It will also be interesting to see which of the two emerges victorious and claims the throne in the ATP rankings.