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Carlos Alcaraz, who walked away with the title in Miami last year, has suggested that success hasn't changed him and that the only thing different this time is him playing on the center court from the beginning.
The Spaniard began his maiden Masters 1000 title defense by cruising past World No. 100 Facundo Bagnis of Argentina, beating him 6-0, 6-2 in the second round of the 2023 Miami Open. The 65-minute-long match saw the 19-year-old hit 12 winners and break his opponent six times to improve his win-loss record to 15-1 this year.
Ever since defeating Casper Ruud in the final in Miami last year, Alcaraz has seen extraordinary success, including his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open.
However, in his post-match press conference on Friday night, the youngster maintained that the feeling of playing in Miami this time was the same as last year. The only difference as far as he could see was the center court scheduling of his matches from the very beginning at this year's edition.
"Well, it's different to be back here as a defending champion," Alcaraz said. "Yeah, I think when I said that I'm ready to win a Grand Slam, yeah, it was not wrong. Here, I'm going to say the same. So I'm going to win another Grand Slam."
"Obviously, it's great to play here. I would say it's no different to play a first-round here than last year. I would say the only difference is I play in the center court and last year, I was not. It's that difference only," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz missed the 2023 Australian Open with a leg injury but made a strong comeback to win the Argentina Open and followed it up by lifting his third Masters 1000 trophy at Indian Wells. He replaced Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1 but will relinquish the top spot if he fails to defend his title in Miami.
Winning the tournament, however, will make him the youngest man to complete the Sunshine Double — winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year.
Carlos Alcaraz says late-night US Open matches didn't lead to his injury earlier this year
On his way to his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open, Carlos Alcaraz played multiple five-set matches, ending well after midnight. He picked up an abdominal injury during the 2022 Paris Masters and a leg injury right before the 2023 Australian Open.
After his second-round win at the 2023 Miami Open, he was asked if his exhausting best-of-five matches at Flushing Meadows resulted in his recent injuries. The Spaniard refused to believe such claims, saying that it was nothing but "bad luck."
"I would say no. It didn't affect me in my physical problem," Alcaraz said. "It was long time from US Open and, yeah, my first injury that was in Paris. I recovered really fast and really well."
"It didn't affect me at all into my physical problem. I would say just bad luck. Probably didn't take care about everything off the court. But it didn't affect in the US Open," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz will next take on 76th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia in the third round of the 2023 Miami Open.
