Despite losing a set in the process, Carlos Alcaraz showed his happiness after overcoming Hungarian Fabian Marozsan and moving on to the third round of Roland Garros.  Alcaraz, who was making his first appearance on the Philippe Chatrier court, energised the audience with a traditional song, which they eagerly returned with a final “olé”.

 When questioned about this particular instance, the young El Palmar player said that he had considered leading a chant of this kind since the previous year but had never found the time or the bravery.  “I watched the tournament as a child and did it, but nobody followed me at the time.  Alcaraz grinned and said, “I really wanted to try and see how people would react.”

In reference to the actual match, he minimized the importance of dropping a set.  For me, it was a nice match today.  He declared, “I’m really pleased with how I bounced back from losing that set and how I performed in the third.

 “I started incredibly well, taking advantage of his mistakes and the opportunities he gave me,” he said, describing the way the game unfolded.  I knew things would be different in the second set.  He gained confidence after the early break.  He improved his game, and I didn’t take advantage of my opportunities, therefore I don’t think I lost my level.”

Many believe Alcaraz is a serious possibility for the final, where he may meet Jannik Sinner, because he has a very clean route forward.  Alcaraz was questioned if this provided him an early edge over his fierce adversary, given that their past four meetings had all ended in his favor.  “The championship game is still a long way off.  Although I have won the previous four games, it is premature to consider a final matchup with him at this time,” he said.

Alcaraz concluded by discussing his opinions on playing with line judges, such at Roland Garros, as opposed to the electronic review systems utilized in ATP competitions.  “Each has advantages.  You can play more quietly when you use electronic reviews.  I like line judges on clay because you can see how the ball bounces.  There have been several instances where the technology displays a bounce that differs from reality.  During the news conference, he remarked, “At least you can argue with judges.”