“Alcaraz has incredible pressure and carries a backpack that weighs a lot”

The director of the Mutua Madrid Open, Feliciano López, commented this Monday that Carlos Alcaraz has “incredible pressure” because every day he competes he has “the obligation” to win, and that that is something “very difficult to accept”, and that he also has “a backpack that weighs a lot” as is the comparison with the best tennis players in history.

“Every day he gets up to compete, he has the obligation to win because he is the best. That is very difficult to accept first and to be able to carry it out every day for so many years. We have to put ourselves in Alcaraz’s shoes, who has an incredible amount of pressure because the demands and the results make him have to carry a backpack that weighs a lot,” said the director of the Mutua Madrid Open in an interview with RNE.

Feliciano López stressed that what happened to Alcaraz in Miami can happen to any player because tennis is a “routine and monotonous” sport, where the same thing happens every week. “You see the same people, you go to the same places, you play in the same clubs, same hotels… I understand that a tennis player, at certain times for whatever reason, can feel like Carlos felt in Miami. What surprised me is that the moment that happened to him happened to him, where he is experiencing the best moment of his career,” he reflected.

The Toledo native stressed that he was already “the best player in the world”, but that “from a year and a half until now”, his mental change has been “brutal”. “Carlos is a much more stable player, mentally much more consistent, with practically no gaps during the games. I understand that for many people seeing the number one in the world shout at his coach, ‘I want to go home’, can be shocking. But if you put it in the context and know the protagonist a little, maybe you don’t see it as strange,” he analyzed.

“I have seen how he has handled it and I have realized that it is a phenomenon at all levels, and that when people talk about his weaknesses on a mental level, I do not agree at all, because a 22-year-old boy who handles a situation like that. He speaks about his maturity in the first place and the ability to accept the things and the stones that may be in his path during his career,” he spoke about the way the Murcian faced the breakup with Juan Carlos Ferrero.

As for a final at the Mutua Madrid Open between Alcaraz and Sinner, Feliciano confesses that “it would be very cool” because seeing the two play is “a luxury for any tennis fan.” “Last year we had the bad luck that Carlos was injured in Barcelona and Sinner was just finishing his suspension. We really want to receive both of them. Obviously I would love to see that final in Madrid. Here we have already seen the best of the best with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal,” he recalled.

The director of the Madrid tournament revealed that Djokovic has expressed his intention to go to Madrid and has let him know. “Obviously Djokovic’s schedule is what it is. He has the ability to play very little, and still be fighting for the big titles at almost 40 years old. But I think that within the clay season, Madrid is one of his priorities, after Roland Garros. If everything goes well we will have him in Madrid,” he added.

The former tennis player celebrated the emergence of Rafa Jódar and Martín Landaluce on the circuit, “tremendous” news for Spanish tennis. “Being able to see guys who can accompany Carlos and Davidovich, who has already been installed there for years, in this new stage that Spanish tennis is experiencing, I think is the best news. Spanish tennis was suffering. Having a large group of players and tennis players feed each other and help each other to continue competing,” he said.

Paula Badosa is experiencing the worst moment, as Feliciano confirmed that she will receive a ‘wildcard’ to participate in the Mutua Madrid Open: “We are going to do everything possible to help her. It is a shame the situation she is experiencing because it is dragging on a bit. It is difficult to go a year and a half without being able to compete regularly. When you enter a cycle of injuries so frequently what you need is five, six, seven months competing.”

Even so, the Toledo native was optimistic about the return of the Gironí, whom he is convinced he will see “come back.” “She is young and she has the desire. It is a matter of time. I have a lot of faith that Paula is going to be at the top again. I don’t know if she is number two in the world, as she was in her day, but I believe she is going to return,” he argued.

Regarding one of the great novelties of the tournament this year, the training court that will be installed at the Santiago Bernabéu, Feliciano explained that the idea comes from Gerard Tsobanian with Real Madrid. “We have been very lucky because of Real Madrid’s calendar and all the facilities they have given us, that has helped us to have the track available for several days. It is a difficult job, the track will be installed in less than 24 hours. It is a job that is worth doing if the track is going to be able to be used later,” he said.

“It will be for players, normally until noon or early afternoon, and then it will also be used for sponsors. The idea is that there will be a court where the players will be able to train during those days,” said the five-time Davis Cup winner.

Even so, the director of the Mutua Madrid Open clarified that “everything remains the same” at the Caja Mágica, where the so-called ‘Tennis Garden’ will continue to exist for all the people who go to the Caja Mágica. In addition, he highlighted the new stadium project for 2028: “It is the last thing we can do to be the closest thing to a Grand Slam, because it can no longer grow any more. It will be a stadium for about 8,000 spectators.”

Finally, Feliciano made it clear that the name of the stadium “is not yet defined.” “A sponsor can come in to give it the ‘naming’ or it can have the name of a player. Imagine being able to have the name of Rafa (Nadal) in one of our stadiums… We already have Manolo Santana and Arantxa… It would be a luxury for us,” he concluded.