Carballes Baena’s birthday task: Taking on Alcaraz in Miami

The chance to take on Carlos Alcaraz on your birthday at an ATP Masters 1000 would be considered an exciting gift by many players on the ATP Tour.

Roberto Carballes Baena, however, dreams of something even bigger: “My birthday wish will be to progress to the third round,” the Spaniard, who on Saturday will both turn 31 and take on the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings at the Miami Open presented by Itau, told ATPTour.com. “Hopefully it will come true. It would be a really nice day.”

The World No. 64 has been visualising his “ideal birthday present” since the tournament draw was made. Though he doesn’t usually look at the slate beyond his next match – out of superstition and for his mental health – Carballes Baena received a social media notification informing him that he was one win against Aleksandar Vukic away from measuring himself against the top seed in Miami.

The ‘spoiler’ became a source of motivation.

After his victory against Vukic in three sets on Thursday, Carballes Baena is now one step closer to celebrating a perfect birthday. The two-time ATP Tour champion is aware that one of the toughest matches of his life awaits him (he has a 0-2 record against Top 2 players), but there are several reasons why he thinks he might cause an upset. First, the knowledge he has of Alcaraz.

Though he has never faced him, Carballes Baena knows like few others what the player from Murcia is capable of. “The first time I saw Carlitos play was in Murcia,” he said. “He was about fifteen years old, and the court was packed. He did seem very skinny and physically lacking, but he had a ball speed that wasn’t normal for someone his age.

“He did seem to have a different mentality, and then the progression he has had surprised me. I thought he would struggle physically, but in no time, he got himself to a very high level.”

In addition to Alcaraz’s talent as a tennis player, Carballes Baena can also attest to his qualities as a person.

“Carlitos is still the same person I met when he was 15,” he said. “He’s a 10-out-of-10 guy, very straightforward, likeable, always with a smile on his face – he hasn’t changed much.”

Surprisingly, however, though they have been friends for several years and trained together a few times, they have never faced each other on the tennis court. They have been rivals off the court, however.

“Last time I played against him it was at golf and I beat him, so hopefully he’ll come out on Saturday a little scared and under pressure because he has to improve his record against me,” joked Carballes Baena. “We played alongside [Pablo] Carreno Busta about two years ago at Indian Wells and I beat him.

“Carlitos told me he has improved and asked when we’re going to play again. We were going to play a few days ago in Indian Wells, but we couldn’t. He’s very competitive, like all of us tennis players who want to win even a game of ludo.”

It’s this competitiveness that typifies them both, and what makes Carballes Baena hopeful he can cause a shock at the Hard Rock Stadium. Another reason to be excited is his great form on fast surfaces, conditions in which he defeated then-World No. 4 Holger Rune at the most recent US Open.

“As a kid I played a lot on fast courts, but then from 14 to 22 I almost never did, just clay,” explained Carballes Baena. “Now I feel more comfortable on fast courts than on clay.

“I’ve always played well here in Miami. I like the ball they use, and the court’s fast, but slow. I mean, it’s not like Australia where the court’s made of ice and the ball goes very fast. The court here lets you play, the ball doesn’t fly too much but it doesn’t die, either, which is something that affects me. I actually feel very comfortable playing here.”

Everything seems aligned for Carballes Baena to have a happy birthday at the Hard Rock Stadium. A victory would certainly be pretty unforgettable.

Editor's note: This story has been translated from ATPTour.com/es.