Carlos Alcaraz is currently patiently waiting to find out his next opponent at the Vienna Open after securing his place in the second round.

Alcaraz beat Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6(7-5) in a high-quality opener in the Austrian capital, needing over two hours to clinch the hard-fought win. It will be the winner of the meeting between Jurij Rodionov and recent Almaty Open finalist Nikoloz Basilashvili who the Spaniard will play next.

But Alcaraz has also spent time with his ATP counterpart Andrey Rublev at the Vienna Open, with the duo having practiced together at the start of the week. He has now shared insight into that practice, during which he was spotted looking somewhat dissatisfied.

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Carlos Alcaraz frustrated during Vienna practice vs Andrey Rublev

Speaking to the media after beating Khachanov, it was suggested to Alcaraz that he didn’t seem happy at times during the practice. But when asked if during his two days of training in Austria he felt like he got better, he said: “Of course. Sometimes it’s really difficult to see the reality of things. And when I was practising with Rublev, I lost 6-2 but I was playing good. But he was unplayable. Ripping every forehand, hitting the ball really hard with the backhand. I couldn’t be aggressive at all, not even one or two shots.

“So that’s why I left the court a little bit unhappy. But at the same time thinking, alright, I’m doing the right things. Sometimes in tennis you’re playing against someone that they try not to let you play sometimes. But those days I just left the court thinking about what I’ve done great. And I think that day I did a lot of good things to be honest. So I just learned a lot from those days as well.”

Carlos Alcaraz happy with his progress after lengthy injury absence

Rublev may just take some form of credit for Alcaraz’s opening win, with the latter having produced a top display to make it past a determined Khachanov. He is, of course, still finding his feet after a very lengthy injury layoff.

Sharing how close he feels to his form at the start of the year following his four-month break because of a wrist issue, he said: “Well I’m in the right way. I think I’m doing the right steps. So I’m just happy with everything I’ve been doing lately. We could see I think today I just played great tennis.

“What I really wanted to get is about the consistency that I got at the beginning of the year. Playing such great tennis or finding the solutions during every match. That’s the level, or that’s the thing that I want to get back. And I think I’m doing the right steps. Where am I from that? Not sure I can answer that, but I’m on my way.”

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Alcaraz was also asked if he feels more relaxed mentally given his reduced season, and indeed if that could push him into starting his next preseason earlier. He replied: “Well right now obviously I haven’t played too many matches in the year, which means probably mentally I’m not that exhausted as I might be if I’ve been playing the whole season.

“And I’m going to try to take that as an advantage for me, to be honest. I really wanted to compete, to be honest, because I’ve missed that. And I’m enjoying it and I’m fresh and I’m ready to overcome the problems that I might have in every situation.

“I’m not going to start the preseason earlier because of it. I’m going to try to do the same things that I’ve done in the previous year. And I will start when I have time.”

As for Rublev, he will already be thinking about his next tournament following an early defeat in Vienna. He was beaten 7-5, 6-2 by American Tommy Paul in his opening match.