Alcaraz defeated Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-1 on Friday to begin his clay court season with a dominant performance.
The second seed’s right arm was covered in a compression sleeve after withdrawing from Barcelona and Monte-Carlo due to injury. On Friday, however, the Spaniard showed no symptoms of physical weakness, scoring 11 of the match’s 12 net points while moving well and ripping groundstrokes from the back of the court.
“I think I performed quite well, to be honest. I basically practised slices, volleys, and backhands for the past month, and I believe that worked quite well today,” Alcaraz remarked.
“That was something I was thinking about approaching this match, hitting the forehand softer, if you will, and being aggressive with the backhand, crashing the net as quickly as possible.
“I think I did a really good match in that part.”
Alcaraz claims that he has tried to put his injuries behind him, but admits that it is difficult not to be cautious given what the injury has cost him.
“Not at all, but I’m thinking about it,” Alcaraz responded when asked if his arm bothered him during the match.
“It won’t leave my mind, I think…” Coming into this week, I’ve been doing well in practice, hitting harder, but I’m still not completely confident with my forehand.
“But I think I’m excited to play at this level. I believe I can compete.
Alcaraz has won 12 consecutive matches in Madrid, with title runs in 2022 and 2023. The hometown favourite is seeking to become the first player in tournament history to win three consecutive titles in Madrid.
Aside from the visible sign of his injury, the compression sleeve, the Spaniard appeared to be at his best in terms of movement and shotmaking.
Alcaraz adjusted his return approach on the fly; on Shevchenko’s delivery, he would frequently stand far back before gradually moving forward to a more aggressive baseline position during rallies. Alcaraz attacked the ball with unconstrained movement, demonstrating his ability to overpower an opponent by hitting 24 winners to Shevchenko’s two, and changing tempo with delicate drop shots.
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