F1 fan Alcaraz revs up his game for Doha win

Carlos Alcaraz raced to an opening win on Tuesday at the ATP event in Doha with his confidence boosted after attending Formula 1 testing in nearby Bahrain.

Spain’s world No. 1 defeated Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech  6-4, 7-6 (5), sending over a blazing forehand winner down the line on his second match point of the second-set tiebreaker.

The current world’s best in tennis took inspiration from his encounter with F1 drivers, with the 22-year-old remaining “impressed.”

“They train a lot differently than we do for their sport but it was impressive to see them,” Alcaraz said as he played his first match since completing the career Grand Slam with his title victory two weeks ago in Melbourne over Novak Djokovic.

The top seed who is duelling with rival Jannik Sinner this week in the Gulf, produced 28 winners in his one-and-three-quarter-hour victory.

He now owns 150 career wins on hardcourt .

“Arthur is a very difficult opponent – no one wants to face him in the opening round,

“I’m happy with my level, I came through some difficult moments tonight,” he said after saving a pair of Rinderknech set points in the second.

“I’m pleased that I stayed calm and played some great tennis to win it.”