Top tennis players are (usually) positive people of the genuiest kind. They might not always be smiling when they lose, but then they are able to flip their mood. Take Carlos Alcaraz for instance, who will make his debut at the 52nd ABN AMRO Open tomorrow, currently ranked third in the world and top seed in the tournament. Things didn't quite go his way at the Australian Open last month, with an elimination in the quarterfinals against an extremely resilient Novak Djokovic. Now in Rotterdam, the 21-year-old Spaniard is back, with that generous smile of his that lights up his face every now and then.

"It feels great here," he says, beaming. "I've never been here before, and that's special in itself. I visit many tournaments for the umpteenth time, but here everything is new, with different, nice people, and that's nice." 

The centre court, where he will have to take revenge tonight in the first round against Botic van de Zandschulp for his early loss at the US Open last year, is also a pleasant surprise for Alcaraz. "I didn't know it was that big, and that beautiful, it’s great," said 'Carlito' after his training session. His practice was eagerly watched by hundreds of children with tennis balls waiting to be signed, and they certainly did not stay quiet. For a dozen minutes, 'Carlos!' chants were overheard across the arena, making his training partner the Czech Jiri Lehecka, seem almost invisible.

One thing Alcaraz immediately picked up on during his first visit to the main court in Ahoy was the names of all the tournament winners on the first ring. "So many legends of our sport. I hope my name will be added soon," said the man from El Palmar in Murcia. It would be very special, because as the 52nd champion in Rotterdam-Zuid, he could become the first Spaniard to ever make it onto the ring. Even Rafael Nadal, his great idol, never walked away with the winner's trophy in Ahoy. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz's coach, came close as a finalist in 2004, but that had escaped 'Carlito' until he was informed about it after his training session on centre court.

So it's now up to Alcaraz to change this. But that will require top form, and the question remains as to whether or not he is in that kind of shape. "After the Australian Open, I took a few days off, but once I got home, I caught a cold and I'm still not completely over it," he says in Ahoy, where he trains with a special piece of tape on his nose. But the natural optimist in him immediately reappears: "The good thing is that after those days of rest with the family, I'm mentally completely fresh again. And I can use that against Botic, to take revenge for that loss in New York. He's tough, and he'll obviously have the crowd on his side, but I'm happy to take on that challenge."