Tennis News

The Alcaraz Foundation inaugurates its Los Pies en la Tierra exhibition

On Thursday, the Carlos Alcaraz Foundation officially opened its Los Pies en la Tierra (Ones Feet on the Ground) exhibition, which seeks to highlight the importance of equal opportunities for children.

On an emotional evening on the patio of the Carcel Vieja building, where the exhibition can be visited free of charge from 14 December to 15 February, Los Pies en la Tierra was inaugurated at an event that was attended by Carlos Alcaraz, Beatriz Garfia, the foundation’s director, and Jose Ballesta, the mayor of Murcia.

Los Pies en la Tierra is a call for all citizens to take pause for thought. Through the story of the life of Alcaraz, a boy with a normal childhood which allowed him to follow his path and chase his dreams, the exhibition underlines the fact that very close by there are many boys and girls who are much less fortunate, faced with obstacles that hinder their development and condition the rest of their lives.

“I was just like any other kid, growing up in El Palmar, in an average family, running around in the park with his friends, who went to the local school, without enjoying any luxuries,” said Alcaraz. “I was passionate about sport and tennis in particular, but it was a very normal childhood. Today we are here, feeling very fortunate and grateful and we would like to do our part by taking action for children.”

“The goal of this exhibition is to show a reality, that of a very challenging childhood. It is a reality that to us may be invisible or distant, but in fact it is very close. This is about raising awareness of that, of the importance of this stage of human life,” said Beatriz Garfia, the foundation’s director. “And because, individually or collectively, we have a lot to say, we have the capacity to influence. Every small gesture counts and can make the difference to children’s lives.”

After Alcaraz officially opened the exhibition by cutting the ribbon, which was symbolically hanging over a tennis net, guests had the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the exhibition, led by the tennis player himself and his family.

Los Pies en la Tierra was conceived for visitors of all ages, and it provides an interactive experience through video games, activities, and questions. It includes some of Alcaraz’s most important trophies as well as a few surprise items the tennis player has donated.

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Schwaerzler's historic title leads five Challenger moments to remember in 2024

To mark the end of the 2024 season, ATPTour.com highlights five moments to remember from the ATP Challenger Tour season.

Schwaerzler’s historic ‘surprise’
#NextGenATP Joel Schwaerzler entered the record books at the Macedonian Open, where he became just the fourth player to win a title at that level while holding the junior No. 1 ranking. Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Wu Yibing also accomplished the feat.

“I was kind of surprised,” Schwaerzler said. “I knew I could win matches there but to actually win the tournament is something different.”

The 18-year-old, who won this year’s Roland Garros boys’ doubles event alongside Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, finished the season at No. 330 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Schwaerzler is the fourth-youngest Austrian winner in ATP Challenger Tour history.

Mejia wins Challenger title in memory of late father
Nearly seven years on since his father’s passing, Mejia celebrated a career milestone in April, when he won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Following his triumph, Mejia was enthusiastic, yet emotional, as he pointed to the sky. “Papá, papá,” he uttered.

“Every single day that goes by, I mention him, I think about him, I dream about him in my sleep because I think about him the whole time,” said the No. 219 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “It’s been the toughest battle for me to realise and know that he is physically gone forever. I feel that he’s close to me every single day of my life. That’s one thing that will keep me going forever because that strength he gave me is unconditional.

“I think when I lifted the trophy, I was also looking to the sky as a sign of relief… I wanted to look at my dad, obviously pointing the trophy to him.” Read ATPTour.com’s feature: Mejia wins Challenger title in memory of late father: ‘The pain never goes away’.

<img alt=”Nicolas Mejia at age eight alongside his father Gustavo.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/04/03/18/18/mejia-gustavo-1-2024.jpg” />
^{Nicolas Mejia at age eight alongside his father Gustavo. Credit: Mejia Family}

Rwanda Challenger reflects hope & healing of a nation
This year marked 30 years since the Rwanda genocide, an atrocity that claimed an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 lives. As the central African country continues to recover and rebuild, tennis is playing a small but important part of the healing process. The ATP Challenger Tour spent two weeks (26 February-10 March) in the capital city Kigali, making Rwanda the seventh African country to host an event at that level.

Rather than trying to erase the dark chapter from history, the tournament adopted an alternative approach: promoting education and honouring the fallen through visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. More than 20 players visited the memorial.

“Rwanda took a risk to organise the first big tournament in this part of the world,” tournament director Arzel Mevellec said. “It’s a very important symbol. Rwanda is a small country but with big events now. Soccer, NBA Academy Africa, and now Rwanda is on the world map of tennis and I think that’s the beginning of something huge. Rwanda can be proud about that.”

^{Rwanda is the seventh African country to host an ATP Challenger Tour event. Credit: Rwanda Tennis Federation}

Champions hailing from college ranks
The college pathway continues to be a vital stepping stone for many players to find success on the ATP Challenger Tour and beyond.

A single-season record 27 different players with college tennis experience won titles this year, led by four-time winner Jacob Fearnley, who helped TCU capture the 2024 NCAA D1 men’s tennis championship in May before making quick progress on the Challenger Tour. The four-time ITA All-American finished the season at No. 99 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a vast improvement upon his No. 646 ranking at the start of the year.

The 2023 NCAA singles champion Ethan Quinn captured his maiden Challenger title in Champaign, his final tournament of the year. Tristan Boyer (Stanford), Federico Agustin Gomez (Louisville), Alexander Ritschard (Virginia), Learner Tien (USC) and Valentin Vacherot (Texas A&M) all claimed three Challenger titles.

Vacherot’s dominant start to season
Vacherot started the season on one of the hottest Challenger runs in recent memory. The 26-year-old won his first 15 Challenger-level matches of the year, claiming three titles. It was the longest winning streak to start a Challenger season since 2017. Vacherot was crowned champion in back-to-back weeks in Nonthaburi, Thailand and triumphed a month later in Pune, India.

A shoulder injury unfortunately hindered Vacherot’s standout season in which he did not compete in any tournaments after the US Open. Vacherot tallied a 21-3 season record (Challenger level) and held the second-highest winning percentage on the ATP Challenger Tour this year (87.5 per cent), only behind Fearnley (27-3, 90 per cent).

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Sensational Sinner reigns as surface king of 2024

Jannik Sinner never loosened his grip on dominating the ATP Tour this season, leading the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index on two of three surfaces.

The Italian claimed a whopping seven of his eight tour-level titles on hard courts this year and tallied a 53-3 (94.6 per cent) record on the surface. Two of those losses came against his rival Carlos Alcaraz, who finished second in match-win percentage on hard courts. Zverev’s 40 hard-court wins were second to Sinner’s season-leading 53.

Hard Court Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index

Sinner closed his season by triumphing at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he capped a perfect year on indoor hard courts. The 23-year-old went 13-0 on indoor hard, lifting trophies in Rotterdam and Turin.

Karen Khachanov and Tommy Paul also scored titles on indoor hard courts, finishing in the top three in those conditions according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 28-year-old Khachanov tallied the most indoor hard wins (14).

Indoor Hard Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, min. 10 matches played

The 18-time tour-level champion Sinner earned a milestone moment at the ATP 500 in Halle this season, capturing his maiden title on grass. The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings went on a nine-match winning streak on grass before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Sinner earned nine grass-court wins, which was one more than Wimbledon champion Alcaraz (8). Lorenzo Musetti tallied the most grass-court wins (12).

Grass Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index

Sinner’s countryman Matteo Berrettini led the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index on clay with a 93.8 winning percentage (15-1). Berrettini won three tour-level titles on clay, lifting trophies in Marrakech, Gstaad and Kitzbühel.

Argentine Sebastian Baez claimed the most clay-court wins (26) with Casper Ruud (24) and Alexander Zverev (23) not far behind.

Clay Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index

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It's really tough to see – Draper on grandma's Alzheimer's

British number one Jack Draper talks to BBC Sport’s Laura Scott on a Memory Walk to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.
Draper’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s, a condition that causes dementia and the gradual decline of cognitive functioning in the brain.

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In pictures: Alcaraz kickstarts preseason training in Spain

Carlos Alcaraz is back to the grind, working hard to prepare for another big season.

The 21-year-old is continuing his preseason training, practising under the guidance of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and the rest of his team in Murcia, Spain.

The Spaniard finished in the top three of the year-end PIF ATP Rankings for a third consecutive year, and registered a 54-13 record according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Clive Brunskill of Getty Images joined Alcaraz and his team for the past couple of days at Real Sociedad Club de Campo Murcia in Murcia, Spain, to capture behind-the-scenes photos of the four-time major champion and his team in action.

Alcaraz works out in style in the Club De Campo gymnasium at Real Sociedad Club de Campo Murcia.

The Spaniard with Coach Ferrero and team after a practice session.

Alcaraz and Ferrero confer during the practice session on Thursday.

Artwork of Alcaraz on the wall of the Spaniard’s old school in El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.

Alcaraz works with his physical trainer in the Club De Campo gymnasium.

Alcaraz and Ferrero during a training session.

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