Carlos Alcaraz is not invincible. In the third round of Rome Masters 1000, the number 135 player in the world (in the latest update of the ATP ranking) demonstrated it by forcing the Spanish tennis player to play defensively, outside his comfort zone and preventing him from dominating with his forehand (vital especially on clay). Fabian Marozsan scored the biggest win of his career and produced one of the biggest upsets in recent memory by winning 6-3, 7-6 (4).
“Now I am going to rest a little, a few days off. I need a few days to reset my mind a bit, to be fresh for Roland Garros. Of course, then to train. If I want to have good results in Paris, arrive in good shape, I have to train, be better. I haven’t been able to train for more than three or four days in a row, I’ve been playing a lot. It will help me a lot to have a few days at home training to prepare for Roland Garros”, said Alcaraz.
The Spaniard will rise to world number 1 on May 22, despite the shock defeat in Rome and in the meantime, will use the extra time to begin his preparations for Roland Garros. Today, he has amassed a 20-2 record on clay so far this season.
“It’s fantastic to be the number one seed in a Grand Slam, in Paris. It is a tournament in which I want to get a good result. I try not to think about it. I was physically perfect, I just didn’t feel comfortable. It has made me uncomfortable. He has been aggressive all the time, always playing on the court. It has been hard for me to go into the game, in the exchanges. I have made many mistakes that I don’t usually make. Obviously these days can happen in tennis, you have to manage it.”
Marozsan, 23, will face Borna Coric in the fourth round. After making it through qualifying, the Hungarian defeated Corentin Moutet and 32nd seed Jiri Lehecka in their opening main draw matches in Rome. The Hungarian became the first player out of the ATP Top 100 rankings to beat Alcaraz from the number 103 ranking Hugo Gaston in Paris-Bercy in 2021.
“My name is Fabian Marozsan”, he said when opening the press conference, exuding pride in his first appearance in a Masters. The 23-year-old Hungarian is still winless at ATP level and emerged from the qualifying phase.
“My objective was to win a game in the previous phase. I started playing tennis when I was 5 years old. I learned everything from my father, he was my first coach. I mostly play Challenger tournaments, now maybe I’ll stay close to the Top 100. This is my first Masters 1000 and I am very happy with this tournament. My goal was to win one game in the qualifying phase, and now I have five. Here I have beaten a Top 100 opponent for the first time with Lehecka, which is good for me. I am very happy to beat Alcaraz in two sets. I have played one of my best matches. I play the same way, just like in the Challengers. I have a lot of drop shots against everyone, not just today because Alcaraz was behind the baseline, it’s one of my best shots. Today everything has been perfect for me. I’ve just played my tennis. Everything was excellent, that’s all, ”he expanded.
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