Carlos Alcaraz in action against Ugo Humbert on Thursday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters.
A four-time champion at Spanish ATP Tour events, Carlos Alcaraz knows all about raising his level for a home crowd. On Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters, the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings recognised he may have been on the receiving end of that trend from Ugo Humbert.
“I think I could play better. I think that’s obvious. But with the level that I had today, I think I compete, I gave everything,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference after his three-set defeat to the inspired Frenchman in Paris. “I fought until the last point. I have to congratulate Ugo. I think his performance has been really high. The way he hits the ball is unbelievable. It’s amazing.
“I think every time that he plays against me, I feel like he increases his level. He plays a really high level of tennis. I think in Paris even more so. So congratulations to him, and good luck.”
Alcaraz acknowledged that, although he generally does not favour fast conditions like those at Paris-Bercy this year, they don’t mean much without an opponent who can exploit them. Humbert produced a performance packed with clean, flat hitting that had the World No. 2 struggling from the first game.
“[It is difficult] when I play against someone like Ugo that doesn’t let you get rhythm into the match,” said Alcaraz, who will next compete at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. “He plays probably every time at his 100 per cent, really flat. So I couldn’t play a good tennis.
“I practised [indoors] at home, but it isn’t the same court, or the speed [of] court… So I wasn’t surprised about my level, about my game, but I was surprised about everything a little bit.”
While the on-court battle in the third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between Alcaraz and Humbert was exhilarating, the courtside action during the pair’s Thursday evening encounter also did not disappoint. A packed arena generated a raucous atmosphere from the opening game to the last and, although Alcaraz naturally did not receive the bulk of the support when playing against a home favourite, he was full of praise for the French crowd.
“I have had a lot of success here in Paris, so I guess a lot of [fans] support me a little bit… [I was] playing against a French player, one of the best French players that France has right now, and [the fans] were great,” reflected Alcaraz. “I had really great points where they were cheering on me a little bit. They [stood] up, clap my points. So I appreciate it, honestly, and the crowd was really respectful. It was a really good match.”
