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Carlos Alcaraz returned to the court in Barcelona, after the physical problems that made him miss the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000. Nuno Borges will therefore be the Spaniard's first seasonal opponent on clay. The number two in the world benefited from a bye in the first round and is preparing to make his debut at the 70th edition of the Conde de Godò, a tournament he won last year and will therefore have to confirm.
The match valid for the round of 32 will obviously see the Spaniard as the favourite, but the Portuguese, number 79 in the world, is in top form and is aware of the challenge that awaits him against the player from Murcia.
Borges said: "He's at the top for a reason, I've seen him evolve over the years because he's played several times in Portugal and it's very exciting to play against him. I know he will give his all, so I will need my best version to have any chance and I will try to enjoy the atmosphere.
I'm playing great tennis, I feel good on clay right now and I want to continue building on these good sensations."
"I felt the value of Carlos Alcaraz when he was 16," said Nuno Borges
Then an anecdote about a previous one match of theirs, in 2019, when Alcaraz was just 16 years old, but his enormous potential was already glimpsed: "I met him in Martos, in 2019.
He was 16 years old and had an impressive physique for that age. We played and he hit the ball impressively. You could already guess what he's become now." Should the 19-year-old overcome his rival's competition, in the third round, he could come across an all-Spanish derby in Spain: against Roberto Bautista Agut.
In the fourth round, as well as the eighth final, another important stumbling block: according to forecasts, there could be the American Frances Tiafoe, who as a winner of Houston did not participate in the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000.
In the semifinals, a challenge that would recall the clash of the Grand Slam final in Flushing Meadows, or Casper Ruud.