I could be better, I’m not going to lie – Carlos Alcaraz after beating Andrey Rublev in Nitto ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz admitted he could be better after beating Andrey Rublev in his second match of the ongoing Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard suffered a straight-set loss in his opening match against Casper Ruud. The four-time Slam champion has been struggling with his health and thus hasn’t been at his absolute best.

Alcaraz registered a 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win over Andrey Rublev to boost his chances of qualifying for the semifinals. Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero also revealed that his pupil had trouble breathing.

“I could be better, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz on court after beating Rublev.

“I’ve been struggling with my health the last week and today I thought I was going to feel better. I was OK to play, but thinking about the first match I was thinking a lot about that I was sick, that I couldn’t play.

“Today I really wanted to step on the court and just think about tennis, try to play a high level… When I played the first match I felt like I did not entertain the people, I did not play good tennis.”

On the other hand, World No.1 Jannik Sinner became the first player to reach the semifinals of the ongoing tournament. The Italian bested Taylor Fritz in straight sets in his second game.

“If I don’t get through, it’s going to be tough because I did play two very good matches and lost to the best player in the world,” Fritz said of his loss to Sinner. “But if that happens, I’m happy with my week and I’ll leave with my head held high. But I’ll definitely be checking in on the score tonight.”

Alcaraz will take on Alexander Zverev on Friday whereas Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev.