Carlos Alcaraz admits what he’s finding it ‘really difficult’ to do in Cincinnati already after winning his first round
Carlos Alcaraz, the World No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion, secured a challenging victory in his opening match at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, defeating Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in a rollercoaster second-round battle. Despite the win, Alcaraz admitted to struggling with the unique conditions of the tournament, particularly the fast-paced courts, stating, “Here it is difficult to play great tennis, the ball flies a lot, goes super fast, you have to be ready to be in a position for every shot. That’s really, really difficult to make.”
Returning to competition after withdrawing from the Canadian Open and taking a break post his Wimbledon final loss to Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz described the match as an emotional and tactical challenge. He dominated the first set in under 30 minutes, breaking early to secure a 6-1 lead. However, Dzumhur, known for troubling Alcaraz previously at Roland Garros, fought back in the second set, capitalizing on Alcaraz’s unforced errors to level the match. The Spaniard regrouped in the decider, breaking early and holding firm to close out the match in 1 hour, 41 minutes.
Alcaraz’s post-match comments highlighted the difficulty of regaining rhythm on Cincinnati’s quick courts, where he has historically struggled, with only one win in the last two years. “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,” he said. He noted the need to maintain positive thoughts despite inevitable dips, adding, “You have to know that there will be a few points, games in the match that you’re not going to feel good, so you have to maintain the positive things.”
The match was a mental test, with Alcaraz calling it a “rollercoaster” of “good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones.” He praised Dzumhur’s smart tactics, noting, “Damir plays really smart tennis, I have to be focused and ready for that.” To counter lingering negative feelings, Alcaraz hit the practice court immediately after the match to “pull out all the negative feelings” and rebuild confidence.
This victory sets up a third-round clash with Serbian Hamad Medjedovic, a first-time meeting on the ATP Tour, scheduled for August 12, 2025. Alcaraz, a former Cincinnati finalist in 2023, where he lost a thrilling match to Novak Djokovic, is aiming to improve his 3-4 record at the tournament. His candid admission of the difficulty in controlling the ball and maintaining consistency on Cincinnati’s fast courts underscores the challenge ahead as he prepares for the US Open. For more details, check sources like The Tennis Gazette or Tennis.com. If you have a specific article or additional context, share it, and I can refine the response!
