Australian Open 2026 results: Carlos Alcaraz defeats Adam Walton in straight sets in the first round

He added about his daily pre-season routine: “I was training all morning – I start at 09:00 and finish at 14:00 or even 15:00. The morning is all about working out physically and on the field.

“After that, I took almost every afternoon off to do whatever I wanted — stay with family or friends, play board games, and relax at home.

“It’s a better way to recharge the batteries, and stay home with the people you love.”

The Australian Open is the only major tournament in which Alcaraz has not yet reached the final, with the quarter-finals in 2024 and 2025 being his best performances, but he advanced to the second round in comfortable fashion against Walton.

In his first Grand Slam match since his separation from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz was forced to wait until the eighth game of the first set to get a break point. He was also broken in the second set, but he immediately recovered with a break of his own and proved his strength in the decisive moments, withdrawing in the tie-break of the second set to win 7-2.

However, his 38 shots were almost matched by 36 unforced errors, and he converted only four of the 10 break points he was afforded, statistics he will be keen to improve on in his second-round meeting with Germany’s Jannik Hanfmann.

“It was hard to find the good spot [against Walton]Alcaraz added. “He was one step ahead of me. He was always in good position, had long passes and was strong from the baseline. His flat ball was very difficult for me at times.”

He added: “It was a really tough match, and when he was able to get on the field and play hard, he did that, and that made things really difficult in the match.”