Friday 26 / April / 2024
MADRID: Nineteen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the winner of the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday afternoon after a 6-3, 6-1 win over number 2 seed Alexander Zverev in just over an hour.
Zverev, whose semi-final didn't start until 23:15 local time on Saturday night and which didn't finish until 1:15 on Sunday morning, was understandably below his best and had no answer to Alcaraz's power.
Nevertheless, the German reacted to his defeat in a sporting manner, saying Alcaraz was "the best player in the world at the moment," and that he was "going to win this tournament many times."
"I apologize to the fans because I was not at my best and it wasn't the best final, but I was struggling to win games before coming here and now I am back," commented Zverev.
Meanwhile Alcaraz said that he "tried to enjoy" himself on the court.
"I don't think about who my rivals are, I go out thinking that I can win. I am confident in myself and I think I can win at any moment.
"I would tell young players that they have to enjoy themselves and that they look for somewhere where they are not forced to play, but that they have to work hard," said the winner, who beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the way to the final
