Carlos Alcaraz ‘tired of playing Roger Federer’ as Spaniard feels targeted | Tennis | Sport

Carlos Alcaraz has joked that he’s “tired of playing Roger Federer every round” after surviving a tough test in Indian Wells. The world No. 1 still hasn’t lost a match this year, extending his unbeaten run to 14 in a row after reaching the last 16 in the Californian desert. Alcaraz came from a set down to beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-7(6) 6-3 6-2 on Monday, their second meeting this year.

Rinderknech also pushed Alcaraz in two tight sets in Doha last month, and they’ve always had close matches. It’s something the seven-time Major winner has noticed of late, as all of his opponents bring their A-game to try and beat him. And he had the perfect response.

“Well, to be honest, I just sometimes get tired about playing Roger Federer every round,” the 22-year-old grinned. “Yeah, sometimes just feel like, yeah, they playing really an insane level. I don’t know if I’m feeling not the right way, but I feel it’s just against me all the time. If they play like, you know, that level every match, they should be higher in the ranking. But, you know, obviously, is something that concern me. When I’m just playing, I think about that.”

Although it’s frustrating, Alcaraz has done a fine job at raising his own level to win the trucky matches this year. He added: “You know, all can I do is just accept it, keep it going, trying to, like, do different things in the match, trying to, you know, try not to let him be aggressive or playing his style, trying to, you know, put my style, my tennis, my level into the match and trying to turn around the things that what I try to do. But obviously, the first thing is just accept it.”

Although he’s accepted it, the world No. 1 certainly feels like he’s the main target for his rivals. Asked why he thought players brought their best again him, he replied: “I don’t know. I feel like I have a target on my back, and I feel like if they don’t play that kind of tennis they can’t win or it is what I think they could think.”

If it’s tough for Alcaraz, it’s also tough for his opponents, who have shown their A-game and still not been able to beat him. That was the case for Rinderknech, who now has a losing 0-6 record against the Spanish star, and during a jokey handshake, the No. 26 seed told his rival: “I don’t want to face you anymore.”

But the two-time former champion also had his own frustrations during the match. “Well, in the beginning, I was a little bit mad with myself, because I just had a lot of chances in the first set, a few breakpoints, set point, and I couldn’t make it,” Alcaraz explained.

“So I feel like I just left a lot of great chances for me. So sometimes difficult to accept it, but, you know, in the beginning of the second set, he played such a great level, you know, in the game that he broke my serve. So, yeah, just accept it, be strong mentally, stay calm as much as I can. Trying to keep going.

“I knew that I was going to have more chances, and if I wasn’t there, I can’t take that, I can’t take them. The first main thing is to stay there all the time, try to win my serve game, try to put pressure on his serve games, and let’s see what happens, but obviously in the best way possible.”

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