Carlos Alcaraz had to overcome some major obstacles to lift the Monte Carlo Masters trophy for the first time.
Alcaraz sent Lorenzo Musetti a message after beating him in the Monte Carlo Masters final, where his opponent was clearly struggling with a physical issue to his leg.
Physicality did not appear to be an problem for the Spaniard, with Alcaraz admitting he felt great in that regard prior to the final.
However, it appears that not all has been well for Alcaraz away from the court over the past month.
Carlos Alcaraz suggests he has been struggling after winning the Monte Carlo Masters
It had been a mixed season so far for Alcaraz, who lost to David Goffin at the Miami Open in his last match prior to getting his clay court season underway.
The 21-year-old also had his struggles in Monte Carlo, with Alcaraz fighting back to beat Arthur Fils in his quarter-final match.
Alcaraz spoke in his on-court interview after beating Musetti in the Monte Carlo Masters final and revealed that he has been having a difficult time over the past month.
“Yeah talking about myself, just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time,” said Alcaraz. “I think it has been a really difficult week with lots of difficult situations that I am really proud of with how I dealt with everything.
“You know, it has been a really difficult month for me outside of the court, so coming here and seeing like the whole hard work is really, really happy.”
When probed about what he has been going through in recent times, Alcaraz declared that he did not want to go into too much detail, but admitted that he was struggling to step on a tennis court.
“Well… I just, I don’t want to say properly, but all I can say is just that I was struggling stepping on the court and finding in a good way playing the matches and playing tennis,” explained Alcaraz.
“So, it has been really difficult to find the way to not think about everything and just to focus on the important things to try and follow the good path again.”
Boris Becker reacts to Carlos Alcaraz winning the Monte Carlo Masters
As a result of his victory Alcaraz will now overtake Alexander Zverev, who lost to Matteo Berrettini in his only match at the Monte Carlo Masters, as the new world number two when the ATP rankings are updated.
Zverev’s compatriot and former world number one Boris Becker was never able to win the Monte Carlo Masters, having lost in the final on three occasions in 1989, 1991 and 1995.
Despite this, the six-time Grand Slam champion still took to social media to react to Alcaraz’s victory at the prestigious tournament.
In a trademark response on X (formerly known as Twitter), Becker simply just wrote, “Word.”
Alcaraz will not have too much time to celebrate his victory, as he now heads to the Barcelona Open where he has twice won the title before.
It is currently unknown who Alcaraz will play in the first round, as he awaits either a qualifier or a lucky loser.
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