Carlos Alcaraz said he will convert any pressure at the Madrid Masters into "motivation" as the world No 2 aims to emulate his Barcelona Open success by defending his title.
The 19-year-old Spaniard thrilled the home crowd on Sunday by retaining his Barcelona trophy, and he is once again defending champion in Madrid this week.
Alcaraz has also won titles at Buenos Aires and Indian Wells this season, shrugging off an injury-hit start to the year to build a 23-2 win-loss record.
In the absence of injured Rafael Nadal, even more expectation is focused on Alcaraz in Madrid, and he says he will thrive on the atmosphere of the home crowds in the Spanish capital.
"I don't take it as pressure, actually the complete opposite. For me it's motivation," said Alcaraz.
"It's a pleasure to see so many people, I like playing in front of such big crowds, and even more so in Spain. It's a really big motivation."
Alcaraz will aim to become only the second player after Nadal to successfully defend the title in Madrid, but failure to do so will not affect his confidence as the US Open champion continues to prepare for Roland Garros, where he will be among the favourites.
"Every tournament we go to, we think we can win it and we're going to try and win it. But if we don't, it's not a failure for me," said Alcaraz, who will face Emil Ruusuvuori or Ugo Humbert in his opening match in Madrid.
"Leaving a tournament thinking I have failed would have more to do with the level of my tennis or my attitude, that's the most important thing for me. If I do well mentally and I play well, I don't take it as a failure."
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the beaten finalist in Barcelona and the Greek said he has taken plenty of positives from last week after a mixed season so far.
After missing out on a first Grand Slam title in January with defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, Tsitsipas went out early in Rotterdam and Indian Wells before reaching the fourth round in Miami and the Monte Carlo quarters.
The 24-year-old world No 5 then bounced back in Barcelona and his recent form has him in good spirits with the French Open starting at the end of May.
"The run I had in Barcelona brought me joy because after the Australian Open I didn't go deep in tournaments," he said.
"Now I've had a first glimpse of what it is to be strong again. Things are looking pretty bright."
Tsitsipas could come up against Alcaraz in the Madrid final and the Greek said it was difficult to match the world No 2's focus and dedication to the sport.
"In order to get there I'd have to spend hours on the court practicing, also hours in the gym working out and hours in my room analysing my past performances and trying to get better," he said.
Tsitsipas said the higher altitude of the Spanish capital offered him a "small advantage", adding: "I'm getting adjusted to that. It's something that I've done pretty well in the past few years. I like the altitude, I think it's good for my game."
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Mountain%20Boy
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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