The last month and a half of Carlos Alcaraz was simply amazing. Former world number 1 won the French Open last month and claimed his second consecutive title at the Wimbledon Championships last Sunday.
After suffering a lot in the first rounds at Church Road, the young Spaniard raised his level with the passing of the days and gave an authentic lesson to the seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the final. Carlitos played one of the best matches of his entire career, with a small pass in the last part of the third set.
At just 21 years old, the Murcia champion has already won four Slams and five Masters 1000 (as well as being the world’s number 1 for 36 weeks). Alcaraz will resume training these days to prepare for the Olympics, where he will play the single and double along with the legend Rafael Nadal.
Carlos is looking forward to sharing the tennis court with his illustrious compatriot, who playing perhaps the last season of his outstanding career. Despite winning the French Open and Wimbledon, Carlos remained world number 3 behind Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard will try to return to the top of the ATP ranking after the summer, as Sinner will have to defend a lot of points in the spring. In the past few hours, the announcement has come that Carlitos will play the ATP 500 in Rotterdam next year and could miss the South American tournaments.
Corretja opens up on Carlos Alcaraz
During a recent interview with the Spanish television after the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Alex Corretja reflected on Carlos Alcaraz: “There’s a before and after Roland Garros semi-final against Jannik Sinner. That day, Alcaraz learned that it is with suffering and fortitude that a player can win Grand Slam titles".
He also added: "Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros semi-final was a real spark for him. Knowing how to stay calm has changed the most in Carlos Alcaraz in recent weeks. There is a before and after the Roland Garros semi-final, when he beat Sinner after being down two sets to one. That day he learned that it is with suffering and fortitude that you can win Grand Slam tournaments. When he did not play his best tennis, he first thought it was not enough to win this kind of tournaments. But now he is realizing that even without playing his best tennis he can still get to the finals of the Slam and then win them".
Alcaraz looks forward
Although he is focused on his career, Alcaraz believes that it is right to take a break sometimes: "Well, I am very clear that in the end people also work for something. Not just speaking for myself, but in general. People work to allow themselves certain things and then enjoy them with their people. I am here living a dream, for me it is crazy to be able to play these types of tournaments, to be able to win them, but I also want to have time for myself. I don't want to feel like a slave to tennis and not have time for myself.
Those little getaways to Ibiza, two or three nights with friends, to enjoy, to have time to rest, to have time for myself, I think it is fundamental and very necessary to then perform and come back to the court with batteries charged."
The 3-time Grand Slam champion also praised his great rival Jannik Sinner: “He is the most consistent. He has won a Grand Slam and several Masters 1000 titles. Except for Wimbledon, he always makes at least the semifinals. I believe he deserves to remain number one. We’ll see what happens by the end of the year and if I can climb higher. I’ll take a few days to rest in Murcia, which I deserve to recharge. But in 2-3 days, I need to get back to training. The Paris Olympics excite me, and I’m aiming for the gold, both in singles and doubles, partnering with Rafa Nadal.”
Carlitos wants to become the youngest ever to win five Majors and could accomplish this feat at the US Open 2024 or at the Australian Open 2025. Last year, Alcaraz was eliminated in the semifinals in New York by Daniil Medvedev. The Spaniard took revenge in the Indian Wells 2024 Masters 1000 final and the 2024 Wimbledon semi-final. Alcaraz is considered by bookmakers as the main favorite to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, which will take place on his favorite surface. His main opponents will be Sinner, Djokovic and perhaps Nadal.