Alcaraz will be the main favorite to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics
Carlos Alcaraz’s season had not started in the best way because of some physical problems. The young Spaniard did not shine at the 2024 Australian Open, where he was eliminated by Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.
The former world number 1 had suffered a forearm injury during the spring, which had forced him to miss the Masters 1000 in Monaco and the Masters 1000 in Rome. His 2024 title changed to Indian Wells, where Carlitos won his second consecutive title by beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
The 21-year-old Spaniard shined in the last month and a half, becoming the youngest player ever to make the French Open-Wimbledon pairing in the same year. The former World Number 1 has just won his second consecutive title at the Wimbledon Championships annihilating seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the final and winning his fifth career Major (the second in 2024).
Alcaraz will be the main favorite to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, which will take place on the red clay of the French Open later this month. The three-time Grand Slam champion will have fewer ATP points to defend than Jannik Sinner in the second half of the season, so he can return to number 1 before the end of the season.
Rennae Stubbs pays tribute to Alcaraz
Former doubles World No.1 Rennae Stubbs paid tribute to Carlos Alcaraz after his triumph in London. “Wow Carlos Alcaraz is one special young talent! I never thought I would see a player as great as Novak, Rafa and Roger, but there is no doubt in my mind this kid actually might get to 20 as well,” wrote Stubbs in a post on X. “Just phenomenal! Novak Djokovic has set the bar so high and this kid is showing up for it” – Rennae added.
The 3-time Grand Slam champion dominated Nole Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, proving that the guard change has now been completed. “I don’t think there is a change of era, a changing of the guard. We all know how good a player and how ambitious Djokovic is. I’m sure after this defeat he’s going to train even harder and he’s going to be a better player. We saw it last year that after losing here, he won Cincinnati and the US Open.
We all know what Novak is capable of and now there is the Olympic Games so we will see. What we can say is that we are going to train hard so that this kind of situation does not happen again and that Djokovic does not beat us again. Honestly, I don’t see a change of guard” – Carlitos explained in a recent interview.
The Spaniard knows he has not faced the best version of the Serbian champion, who had surgery on his knee last month. “This is a great feeling. It was a great match on my part and obviously, Novak didn’t play his best on the first two sets, made many mistakes, and I took full advantage of it,” the Spaniard stated.
“It’s a great feeling even to think that I have won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, something few players have done before. It’s amazing I try to realize that I have won Wimbledon twice and to feel that it’s the same sensation as last year,” he added.
The former world number 1 will try to win the gold medal in Paris in singles and doubles along with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal. “It’s a dream for me to bring gold home to my country Spain. The gold medal is one of the greatest things in sport. I mean, I’d prefer to win Olympic gold this year… even though I’d like to win both, I won’t lie” – Carlitos said.
Carlitos’ amazing numbers
At just 21, Carlos Alcaraz already has an incredible record: 4 Grand Slam titles, 5 Masters 1000 and 36 weeks at number 1 in the ATP ranking.
In recent months the Spaniard has improved his game even further, as Djokovic himself admitted at the press conference at Wimbledon. “I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136mph. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day yesterday. He really outplayed me, He was better than me in every aspect of the game,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion said. If he had to reduce the ups and downs and injuries, the Spaniard really has a chance to break all records. Juan Carlos Ferrero has clear ideas on how to keep the motivations of his pupil high, knowing that Carlitos has the right qualities to become one of the best ever.
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