Carlos Alcaraz out to conquer Canadian Open

As he competes in an ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada for just the second time in his career, world number one Carlos Alcaraz hopes to atone for his mistakes in the great white north last year.

In Montreal a year ago, the Wimbledon winner got off to a bad start, losing his first match against American Tommy Paul in his ATP debut in the city.

Carlos Alcaraz to banish ghosts

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The 20-year-old Spaniard, who will begin defending the US Open championship in New York later this month, starts this year’s US swing in Toronto as the favourite.

Alcaraz is aware of the necessity to deal with the pressure he will experience starting on Monday as the main focus of the rest of the field.

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“I remember last year I didn’t have a good tournament in Canada. I have come this year to change it,” he said after arriving in North America in an interview with ATPTour.com.

“I hope to go far, do better than last season. A year later, I think I’ve learned a lot from that situation, how to deal with pressure.”

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Alcaraz has won five other titles in six finals appearances since last year’s Canada event in addition to his two Grand Slam triumphs, including titles this year at Argentina, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid and Queen’s.

“I’ve been playing in big stadiums, big games, fighting for big things. I think that helped me a lot to grow as a player, as a person,” Alcaraz said.

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“A year later, I’m totally different.”

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The draw unfolds

The top seed awaits the winner from the clash between his compatriot Bernabé Zapata and American Ben Shelton.

Alcaraz heads the field ahead of second-seeded Daniil Medvedev and number three Casper Ruud.

The Spaniard will be competing on a hard court for the first time this summer after stepping back onto clay for the Hopman Cup team event in Nice after Wimbledon.

He must put last month’s Wimbledon triumph in perspective after achieving the most significant victory of his young career.

“I have the Wimbledon trophy in my living room, so every time I have lunch or dinner with my family, I see the title. It’s something I don’t want to forget,” he said.

“I only had a week to think about it… it needed a little more because it’s crazy that it’s hard to realise.”

In only his third appearance, Alcaraz called winning Wimbledon at age 20 “something I dreamed of when I started playing tennis.”

“For me it is an achievement and it is something that I have to take some time to think about it — and I still can’t believe it.”

Alcaraz has already trained with Medvedev, his main Toronto rival and arguably the best player in the world on hard courts apart from Novak Djokovic.

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