Carlos Alcaraz is experiencing a magical moment in his life. Those moments when everything is new, including reaching the top.
At the age of 19, the Spaniard born in Murcia moved, in the space of 12 months, from position 120 in the ATP rankings to 6th in the world. It’s an evolution that doesn’t tell the whole story. The words of his fellow tennis players sum it up best.
“Now you are the best player in the world. It’s great for tennis to have a new superstar, someone who will win a lot of Grand Slams and be number one in the world,” German Alexander Zverev, third in the ranking, told him.
A few minutes earlier, Zverev had been beaten by Alcaraz in the final of the Madrid Masters 1000 by 2 sets to 0 (6-3 and 6-1). And the victory in the title game was not even the most impressive feat of the Spaniard.
In the quarterfinals, he defeated his compatriot Rafael Nadal, 4th in the ranking. In the semi, he passed Novak Djokovic – never before has such a young tennis player defeated the number one on the planet. Nobody had ever won, in successive matches, Nadal and Djokovic on clay.
“Before, children [na Espanha] they wanted to be like Nadal. Now they also want to look like Alcaraz”, defined the Japanese Naomi Osaka.
He threatens to be a phenomenon in the sport. This year, he has already won four titles. Before being champion in Madrid, he did the same at the Miami Masters 1000, the Barcelona Open and the Rio de Janeiro Open.
“He’s a 360-degree player and he comes from everywhere. Alcaraz’s match data shows a player who is rock solid and can do anything”, analyzes the ATP website, regarding the victory over Zverev.
A title on clay so close to Roland Garros already makes it clear what his next objective is. The French Grand Slam starts next Monday (16).
“I’m just trying to assimilate everything I’m going through. This year… People are going to think I’ll be one of the favorites to win Roland Garros. I don’t see it as pressure, I have it as a motivation. I’m looking forward to going to Paris, fight for the Grand Slam and I want to show my level in a Grand Slam too”, he explained.
Suddenly, Alcaraz also appears as the successor of Rafael Nadal. This despite having already said he likes fast surfaces more, the opposite of his legendary compatriot, winner of 21 Grand Slam titles, one of the greatest tennis players of all time and an expert on clay.
Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and former coach, wrote to the newspaper El País that Carlos was not just a hope for Spanish tennis, but his nephew’s natural replacement. It’s not something new. He’s gotten used to hearing this kind of comparison over the years, even before he turned pro.
“His attitude, ambition, his winning gene, that’s what inspires me in him. I think he’s a reference in all aspects, both in sport and in normal life”, explained Carlos Alcaraz, in an interview with Sheet in 2021.
“[Comparações] don’t bother me because like him [Toni] says, are inevitable. But I also don’t think they bring me good things. I try not to pay too much attention to them and move on.”
Alcaraz says he is still trying to lead a life similar to that of any young man his age. As difficult as it is to see how this is possible. He claims that when he goes to Murcia he is just a boy like any other. He likes to go out at night and has no problem drinking alcohol, but in small amounts.
“I’ve gotten drunk a few times,” he confesses. “When I’m with my friends, I forget I’m a tennis player. I’m an ordinary person.”
But not all 19-year-olds are touted as tennis stars and are already millionaires. Just the title of the tournament in Madrid will earn him R$ 5.5 million. It is estimated that he has already received more than R$ 10 million in prizes in a career that has barely begun.
Not that I’m worried about what to spend. In an interview with a TV channel in his country last week, he confessed that his parents take care of everything he earns and, when he wants to buy something, he asks them for money. He is amused to remember that he still tries to convince them to give him a car and every time he says he wants to buy golf equipment, another one of his passions, the answer is no.
Time may change that, but for now, he doesn’t live in great luxuries. Casa dele is a 90 square meter prefabricated bungalow in the Academia Equelite de Villena sports center. It is a complex with more than 20 tennis courts of all surfaces, gyms, swimming pools and restaurants.
Alcaraz has lived there since 2019, when he started being coached by former Spanish tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero.
In the title campaign that made his name known throughout Spain, even for those who don’t follow the sport closely, Alcaraz put his superstitions into practice. When he’s winning, he wears the same shower throughout the tournament and repeats the same outfit. Why change what has worked?
His victories brought celebrities from Spain to the court. Singers, TV presenters and actors were seen in his games, mainly from the confrontation with Nadal. The image of the actor Álvaro Morte, known for the role of the “professor” of the series “A Casa de Papel” trying to see him in action despite having his vision blocked by flowers placed on the edge of the court, went viral on the internet.
But even if it doesn’t work out in Paris, Alcaraz knows the future that lies ahead. Exactly the same path as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, the mirrors for his career.
“Look at them. They all improve and they have things to improve. That’s why they’re so good. That’s why they’ve been at the top for so long, why they don’t stop. That’s what I want to do.”
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