Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz says he has no worry about the prospect of losing his love for tennis throughout his career but there is another factor he is more concerned about.
The world No.2 has won 29 out of 31 matches played so far this season with his only losses being to Cameron Norrie in Buenos Aires and Jannik Sinner in Miami. He is so far the only player on the ATP Tour to have won four titles this year with two of those being at Masters 1000 events. On Sunday he became the second male player after Rafael Nadal to win the Madrid Open for a second year in a row after ousting Jan Lennard-Struff in three sets.
With a total of 10 ATP trophies already under his belt, the 20-year-old has said his ultimate goal is to establish himself as one of the all-time greats of the sport. So what does Alcaraz have that separates him from others on the Tour?
“The ability I have to play better in important moments. I think I’m a player who grows in those moments, it’s when I get to the best level and when I do things that are different from the rest of the players.” Alcaraz told reporters in Madrid on Sunday.
“That is what characterizes me and that is why I am a finals player. I have lost very few of the ones I have played. In important moments I give the best level.” He added.
Whilst the Spaniard seems unstoppable in the sport, he concedes that his biggest concern relates to the threat of injury. Last year he missed the ATP Finals due to an abdominal issue before injuring his leg during the off-season which forced him out of the Australian Open. More recently, he missed the Monte Carlo Masters due to post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand and muscular discomfort in his spine.
“The mental issue, getting tired of winning, travelling and playing tennis doesn’t worry me because I know it won’t happen,” he commented. “What may worry me in the future is the issue of injuries, taking care of yourself physically and in the end that is what we are going to try to take care of every day together with my team. We are going to be 100% focused on being physically fit. That’s the only thing that could worry me.”
So far in 2023, six different players have managed to take a set off Alcaraz with the most recent of them being Struff. A 33-year-old German veteran of the game who reached the final in Madrid as a lucky loser. Due to the performance of his rival, he was unable to dictate periods of his latest match and hit more unforced errors than winners (31-19).
“I am one of the players who, when he plays badly, is capable of taking games forward. 80% of the games over the course of a year you don’t play at the level you want and you don’t feel as good as when you play spectacularly,” Alcaraz explains.
“I play at a high level on days when I’m not entirely comfortable. That is what characterizes me too, getting good results consistently.”
Alcaraz now heads to Rome where he will be playing at the Italian Open for the first time in his career.
