Carlos Alcaraz took to practice court after tough Cincinnati opener

CINCINNATI, Ohio—Fresh off a post-Wimbledon holiday, Carlos Alcaraz is all business at the Cincinnati Open, taking to the practice court almost immediately after a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur on Sunday.

“I just wanted to hit some balls just to pull out all the negative feelings that I could have had from the match,” Alcaraz said in his post-match mixed zone. “I just wanted to feel much better and think and feel like my tennis is there, and it’s just about good feelings. I wanted to put a lot of reps on that.”

**Watch a replay of Carlos Alcaraz vs. Damir Dzumhur on the Tennis Channel App!**

Alcaraz enjoyed a strong start in his first match since finishing runner-up at the Championships, but suffered a second-set hiccup that reminded the Spaniard of his 2024 Cincy defeat to Gaël Monfils 12 months ago.

I think here, in Cincinnati, when you lose your feeling, in two or three points, then it’s really, really difficult to come back. Everything goes super-fast, the ball flies even more than what we are used to. Carlos Alcaraz

“I remembered the match last year, which is sometimes tricky to forget about it,” said Alcaraz.

“There weren’t so many rallies in the first set, which, I couldn’t get the good rhythm,” he explained. “But I felt great. Then, second set, I think he started to play much better. I just made a few early mistakes in the first two, three games. Then, I just lost my feeling, lost completely my feeling.”

The five-time Grand Slam champion has played some spectacular tennis in Cincinnati, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic back in 2023 in what was largely considered one of the best matches of that year, but admitted he can indeed lose his rhythm on quicker courts.

“I think here, in Cincinnati, when you lose your feeling, in two or three points, then it’s really, really difficult to come back. Everything goes super-fast, the ball flies even more than what we are used to. In general, I’m just happy to overcome all the problems and play good tennis again in the third set.”

Alcaraz will get a blast from the past in his next opponent, facing former junior rival Hamad Medjeovic for a spot in the round of 16.

“He’s the same year as me,” Alcaraz said with a smile. “I played against him back in the days when we were 14 years old. I’m just glad that we’re going to play our first ATP match, which is great to see how far we went. He’s a really powerful player. I’ve seen a lot of his matches already. He’s got a big forehand, big shots. I have to be ready for that because here is even tougher with the speed of the court. We will see but I’m excited.”

The match will likely take place on Tuesday, giving Alcaraz plenty of time to continue honing his game on the practice court as he aims to channel the form that took him to his first US Open title back in 2022.