It has been four months since Carlos Alcaraz last played a tour event but his desire to win more titles hasn’t changed in the slightest.
The former world No.1 staged a meteoric rise in men’s tennis last year by winning five titles, including two Masters 1000 events before he claimed his first Grand Slam trophy at the US Open. At the Madrid Masters, he became the youngest player in history to beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal back-to-back in the same tournament. His other accolades include becoming the youngest person to top the ATP Pepperstone rankings and recording nine wins over top 10 players.
However, Alcaraz’s 2022 season ended in disappointment after he was forced to pull out of the Nitto ATP Finals due to an oblique muscle tear. Then he was forced to miss this year’s Australian Open after sustaining a leg injury during the offseason.
“It was a very good year,” Alcaraz said of his recent success. “I achieved my dream, my goal, very quickly. Practically in just a year. I dealt with it as naturally as possible. After becoming No. 1 I had to set new goals, new things for the long term, to continue to enjoy myself, continue to improve, because I’m very young and I have a lot of things to improve, despite being the No. 1. You have to keep training and looking forward.”
The 19-year-old will return to action this week at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. He will be the top seed in the draw and is one of three top 20 players participating. The other two are Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Musetti. Alcaraz admits he faces a big challenge in winning the title due to his recent absence. However, he is determined to give it his best shot.
“It’ll be my first tournament since I picked up the injury in Paris,” he said. “It’s been four months since then. But I always arrive thinking about winning and wanting to win, even though it won’t be easy after such a long time without competing.”
“That’s why I’ve come a few days early, to train with really good players, gradually improve and to be able to start the tournament as well as possible.”
As for the longer term, the Spaniard admits there is still room in his game to make improvements. He is coached on the Tour by Juan Carlos Ferrero who won the Argentina Open back in 2010. The two first got acquainted when Alcaraz attended Ferrero’s academy at the age of 13.
The desire to elevate his game is inspired by the Big Three and how they have managed to stay at the top of the men’s game for so long. The trio have won 64 Grand Slam titles between them.
“Rafa, Roger and Djokovic, when they were young, they were so good, but as time has gone by, they’ve improved,” Alcaraz points out.
“I’m certain that I need to continue to improve. Achieving my dream very quickly caught me by surprise, so to speak. Now I’m used to it, I have a goal, I know where I want to get to, what I want to be, and that is the most important thing.”
Alcaraz has a bye in the first round of the Argentina Open. His opening match is set to be against either Fabio Fognini or Laslo Dere.
