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Carlos Alcaraz has said that he's learning to play under pressure against the best players in the world, ahead of his campaign opener at the Cincinnati Open.
The World No. 4 is coming off a shock opening-round exit at the Canadian Open last week, losing to Tommy Paul in three sets. In the absence of big guns Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, the second seed was expected to go all the way.
However, Alcaraz and two other top-three seeds - Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas - also bit the dust in the opening round in Montreal. This marked the first time in 23 years (1999 Indian Wells) that the top three seeds lost their opening-round matches at a Masters 1000 tournament.
Alcaraz is now preparing for his second campaign at Cincinnati, having lost in the Round of 64 to Lorenzo Sonego on his tournament debut last year.
"The kind of player I am means I am trying to use the pressure in my favor. I know I am playing against the best players in the world, so I am going to try my best,” he said in his pre-match press conference
Regarding his early exit in Monreal, Alcaraz said that he struggled to deal with the pressure of being the favorite, as well as his high ranking.
“I understood everything of what happened in Montreal," said Alcaraz. "I couldn’t handle the pressure to be one of the favorites to win the tournament or be the ranking that I am right now."
Alcaraz is 42-8 on the season, winning a joint tour-leading four titles.
Also Checkout: Cincinnati Open 2021 Results
"I am No. 4 in the world, one of the favorites to win this tournament, it's tough to handle the pressure" - Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the game. His blistering exploits this year - two Masters 1000 titles and a Grand Slam quarterfinal (Roland Garros) - have seen him break into the top four of the ATP rankings.
However, the young Spaniard is still getting used to playing under the pressure of winning every tournament he enters and said he's trying to take it match by match.
“Right now, I take each match as a challenge for me to stay the same as always. I am No. 4 in the world, one of the favorites to win this tournament, so it is a bit tough to handle the pressure," he said.
He hopes to replicate his claycourt form earlier in the season, where he won three titles, and Miami - where he won his first Masters 1000 title.
“I am training at my best," said Alcaraz. "I am training with the objective to improve and try to produce the game I produced during the clay season and in Miami. It is a challenge for me to be the same.”
Alcaraz will look to make a deep run in Cincinnati ahead of the US Open, which starts later this month.
