Carlos Alcaraz: “I Don’t Have to Prove Anything to Anyone”

Everything is set at Wimbledon, where all the main players are already on display, and two of them stand out at a very different pace: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and then everyone else, with Novak Djokovic being the last remnant of the golden era. “I still don’t know what I’m capable of, but I aspire to reach that level. What these two guys are doing is marking the path and changing the game,” hints Jack Draper, the English player trying to board the meteoric train started by the Italian and the Spaniard, who keep pushing harder and harder. Neither one is giving in or looking back; on the contrary, they are breaking away and putting more and more distance between themselves.

Paris experienced this two weeks ago, serving as the backdrop for a memorable final, and London is set to do the same now, where everything is more unpredictable and less controllable, despite this edition presenting a dominant force: Alcaraz is seen once again in the press room, relaxed and focused, after an almost perfect run on clay and a smooth transition. “I want to win the tournament; I really want to lift the trophy again. I’ve tried to arrive here as well-prepared as possible and, obviously, now I feel a lot of confidence,” the Spanish player, champion of the last two editions of the British major, introduces with a smile.

This is complemented by the excellent momentum with which he arrives at the tournament. Since April, only one loss and one triumph after another. He crowned his performance at Roland Garros and is on an 18-match winning streak. Everyone is pointing at him. “On grass, he enjoys himself more than anywhere else,” remarks Mats Wilander. He continues to enjoy, but, of course, with the idea of competing exactly under the same parameters as this spring; that is, fun, of course, but without straying from that refined and more serious pattern, wrapped in concentration, execution rigor, and a complete toolbox of solutions that allows him to navigate even the most unexpected situations. Just look at the Paris final.

The impact is tremendous, acknowledges Djokovic. “I was at home with my wife, and she wanted to watch the final, but I didn’t. We went out to eat, but in the end, we watched part of the match, and honestly, I would say it’s one of the most historic we’ve seen. The level both showed was simply incredible,” states the Serbian, now following two seeded players and surrendering to Alcaraz’s tennis, who, after winning at Queen’s for the second time last Sunday, opted to play golf the next day with Andy Murray. He will debut on Monday (2:30 PM, Movistar+) against veteran Fabio Fognini, with whom he shared hugs in the training area these days.

2019 in Roehampton

“Fabio [38 years old and ranked 130th in the world] is an incredible player, with much experience in our sport and big tournaments, with great matches. We get along very well off the court, and I think it’ll be a nice match. He is very talented, so we need to stay focused because the first rounds can be a bit tricky,” points out the player from El Palmar, whose documentary —My Way, released on April 23— has sparked a debate that has softened as his trophy count has increased in recent dates. Does Alcaraz feel he has to constantly prove things, paying the price for having chosen a different path?

“I don’t have to prove anything, that’s the main thing. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. In the end, it’s my life, and I lead it in the way I think is right, as I would like. For me, that’s the key,” he responds. “Not thinking about what people say, not thinking about the expectations people have of me, but just focusing on what really feels good to me, focusing on what I genuinely need and following it one hundred percent. That’s the best way to prove things, following what I feel and what I like,” expands the number two, leaning on his closest circle to navigate the toughest moments.

Because nowadays he savors success and is riding the current in his favor, but at other times the situation was different. In March, after falling in the first round of Miami, he received “a lot of hate” for choosing the beach in Cancun instead of the training court in Murcia to try to overcome the tough time on the North American tour. Then, as always, he sought refuge in his friends and family, with whom he will share these days in the SW19 district of London. Here, the player says, he feels his tennis reaches its fullest expression. He recalls 2019, the first time he stepped onto grass to compete. It was in Roehampton, during a junior tournament. He did well, but ultimately had to withdraw.

“I surprised myself by playing good matches. I got a stomach injury, but it was okay. On grass, everything is different; it’s not easy to play; it’s not easy to move, and the strokes are different,” he clarifies, while hinting that it’s his favorite surface, or at least the one that showcases his sport the most. “The most beautiful tennis we can see is on grass. The style is very nice, the sound… When you manage to adapt, you feel like you’re flying. It suits me very well because I like hitting slices, dropshots, going to the net all the time, being aggressive…” the Spaniard specifies, who warns: the appetite remains intact; he has come in search of a triple crown.