Carlos Alcaraz helped Spain qualify for the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November, redeeming last year’s painful elimination. The young Spanish champion also used the week in Valencia to regain the right feelings after a period of little success on the tennis court.
The defeat against Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in the final of the Olympics in Paris hurt him very much, preventing him from doing his best both in Cincinnati and especially at the US Open. The former world number 1 was eliminated in the second round in New York losing three sets to zero against veteran Botic van de Zandschulp, who had an exceptional performance against an unrecognizable rival.
Carlitos admitted that he had taken a mental step back and perhaps felt the heavy efforts made during the summer. The current number 3 in the world has won the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships this year, becoming the youngest player ever to do so in the same season.
Although he can reach very high peaks, the 21-year-old from Murcia will have to be more consistent if he wants to surpass his huge rival Jannik Sinner in the ATP ranking. The Italian ace has a crazy regularity, especially on the hard court, where he collected impressive numbers. Although they each won two Majors in 2024, Jannik is over 4,000 points ahead of Carlos (and Sascha Zverev).
Alcaraz is in Berlin
After the Davis Cup, Alcaraz will be one of the protagonists of the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup this weekend. The event will take place at the Uber Arena in Berlin this year and promises to be a great show. The 4-time Grand Slam champion has arrived in Berlin a few hours ago and is ready to play in this amazing event.
“I am excited to be part of the European team in this Laver Cup. I have watched this event several times, so I am looking forward to it. I have always seen a great atmosphere on television, with coaching, supporting each other in every match… it is very fun. Additionally, I believe we have a great team that can bring back the title” – Carlitos said in an interview with Eurosport.
The young Spaniard is at his first appearance in this event, which has officially entered the ATP calendar and hosted the last match of Roger Federer’s career. “I love it, I have always wanted to be part of the tournament. It is a serious competition. I believe we have to represent Europe in the best way possible. The prestige of this tournament and being a Laver Cup champion is something huge” – the Spaniard said.
He also praised Bjorn Borg: “He was one of the players who took tennis to the highest level in sports. I hope to learn as much as I can from him. He is a tennis and sports legend. My father is also a great admirer of his, so being coached by Björn Borg is going to be a really important moment for me, for my career, for my life.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion will not have many points to defend in the last part of the season, having not won a single title in autumn 2023. The former world number 1 will have as main targets especially the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin – where he reached the semi-finals last year – and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
A tough moment
Carlitos didn’t shine during the US tournaments. “This is a tour I was hoping for better, but I didn’t manage to play matches and I didn’t manage to play at the level I would have liked. It’s very difficult to be 100% every day, it’s tennis and anything can happen, you have to be ready to accept things as they come” – he explained.
“Over the days and weeks, talking to the team, we came to the conclusion that what I was missing was preparation. I had a very intense summer with Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics, with few days of rest and disconnection. Few days to prepare and train for the tour, I could not train as much as I would have liked to arrive in New York under the best possible conditions. It is an experience from which I will learn in the future” – he concluded.
Alcaraz wants to become one of the best players of all time and is working hard to achieve this feat. His completeness at 21 years old is perhaps unmatched in the history of tennis, but there are other aspects that Spanish must improve to rise further.
Leave a Reply