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Last year he wasn't in Melbourne due to an injury, but this year the boy wants to be one of the great protagonists of the highly anticipated first Slam of the season. It may be the start of the new year and the eagerness for tennis, but fans are excited for the start (tomorrow, 14th January 2024) of the Australian Open.
And Carlos Alcaraz is ready to play in Melbourne, the first Slam event of the season, to which he comes with big goals in mind. The Spanish tennis player did not hide in the press conference and set important ambitions.
"I want to get to the final and I hope to play against Novak Djokovic. It would be wonderful of course. Knowing that almost no one here is capable of beating him is undoubtedly an extra motivation. I always want to face the best players in the world to see what my level is," said the young Spaniard, who in his career has not yet reached the third round at the Australian Open.
Among the new features for the young 20-year-old, 2-time Slam champion, is the absence of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. "It's hard not to be with him. Obviously he travels almost 100% of the tournaments. He probably only missed one or two last year. It will be difficult to go to a big event without him. But I will still have Samuel López by my side, who is also a great coach. I trust him 100%," said Alcaraz.
Carlitos also talked about Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune, who are part of the new generation with him: "Holger is the same age as me. Sinner is only two years older. We are the next generation, I don't know why I won two Slams and they didn't."
Alcaraz chose, like the Italian and also Daniil Medvedev, not to play official ATP competitions before the Australian Open. He explained his decision in front of the media: "We finished the season very late and I prefer to take a holiday and a few days to recover. Obviously I prefer to have an excellent pre-season. We needed almost 4 or 5 weeks of pre-season to prepare well for the first Great Slam this year. We had almost no time to stop and it was very difficult to play an earlier tournament, so we chose to come directly here."
Alcaraz also revealed where he placed the Wimbledon trophy at his house!
At the end of an exhibition match, played on the Rod Laver Arena against Alex De Minaur, at the 20-year-old it was asked where the Wimbledon champion trophy was. And his response was very nice.
"I keep it in my living room and every time I eat I look at it! I always try to enjoy the moment and live my childhood dream. I still see tennis as a game and I always enjoy being on the court. Having a smile on my face is key to everything I do. I smile a lot when I play and this reflects on my game. What makes me happy? Doing things that are different and out of the ordinary and seeing the audience having fun.
Their enthusiasm makes me really happy and this gives me even more energy. I like drop shots when they feel good in my hand. But my favorite shot is the forehand, which I feel really comfortable with. I use a lot of power with this shot, which scares most players, and that's why it's my favorite. I try to make the most of it, even if it doesn't always work," he told.
Alcaraz is one of the most loved tennis players on the Tour, especially for his smile, emblem of the young Spaniard's joy in playing the sport he loves. "It's natural, ever since I started at the age of 4 or 5. I always try to enjoy the moment and live my childhood dream. I still see tennis as a game and I always enjoy being on the court. Having a smile on my face is key to everything I do. I smile a lot when I play and this is reflected in my game," the tennis player explained to Le Figaro.
What makes the Spanish champion happy? He said do things that are different and out of the ordinary and see that the crowd has fun. Their enthusiasm makes him really happy - explains Carlitos to the French newspaper - and this gives him even more energy.
He said his favorite shot is the forehand, which he feels really comfortable with. He uses a lot of power with this shot, which scares most players, and that's why it's my favorite of his. Carlitos also explained how his tennis is good, but he also needs to improve mentally and physically. He said that he is only 20 years old and still has a lot of room for improvement, because tennis is constantly changing and you have to adapt and evolve with it.