There is no doubt that Carlos Alcaraz is a historic talent. His 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) dismantling of 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final Sunday was just the latest proof of that.
The bad news for the rest of the ATP Tour is that the Spaniard is hungry for more.
“Obviously it’s a really great start of my career, but I have to keep going. I have to keep building my path,” Alcaraz said. “At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys. That’s my main goal. That’s my dream right now. It doesn’t matter if I already won four Grand Slams at the age of 21. If I don’t keep going, all these tournaments for me, it doesn’t matter.
“I really want to keep going. I will try to keep winning and end my career with a lot of them.”
Djokovic holds the men’s singles record for most Slam championships with 24, while Rafael Nadal owns 22 and Roger Federer claimed 20 in his career. How close to those legends can Alcaraz get, or could he even exceed their totals?
Alcaraz does not know, but he wants to do everything in his power to find out.
“I’m really happy with the work that I’m doing with my team. I’m really proud about myself, all the things that I’m doing great. I’m really proud about my people around my team. Everything we have done already has been unbelievable, an amazing journey so far,” Alcaraz said. “I really want to keep going, to keep improving, to keep growing up, try to keep winning. That’s all that matters for me right now.
“I don’t know what is my limit. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to keep enjoying my moment, just to keep dreaming. So let’s see if at the end of my career it’s going to be 25, 30, 15, four. I don’t know. All I want to say is I want to keep enjoying, and let’s see what the future brings to me.”
At last year’s US Open, Alcaraz lost a four-set semi-final to Daniil Medvedev. After the encounter, he was as negative as we have seen him about his game.
“I’m not mature enough to handle these kind of matches,” Alcaraz said. “So I have to learn about it.”
Learn Alcaraz has. The 21-year-old has won two of the three majors this season and is younger than Djokovic, Nadal and Federer were when they won their fourth major. He pointed to the Medvedev match as an important moment.
“I had to grow up and be more mature in those situations. I gave up a little bit. I remember perfectly. I gave up a little bit in the second set after losing the first one. It’s something that is unacceptable playing in a Grand Slam. I knew that these things can’t happen again,” Alcaraz said. “It helped me a lot coming to the next Grand Slams, next tournaments to be better in the mental side, to be strong enough, playing [my] best tennis in the close and difficult situations.”
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/14/19/39/alcaraz-wimbledon-2024-title-terrace.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Carlos Alcaraz” />
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Alcaraz is now locked in a tantalising battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The Italian leads the Spaniard by just 250 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a good measuring stick for the year-end No. 1 race.
Alcaraz, 21, and Sinner, 22, have swept the season’s three majors and each star has claimed an ATP Masters 1000 trophy this year, too.
“I think it is good for tennis to have new faces winning the big things and fighting for the big tournaments,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really glad to have him there. As I’ve said many times, we have a really good rivalry, as young players that are coming up, fighting for these things as well. I think it’s great for the sport, for tennis and I think for the players, as well.”
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The Wimbledon champion made sure to also shower praise on Djokovic, who was unsure whether he would compete in The Championships until the days before the tournament. After withdrawing ahead of his Roland Garros quarter-final against Casper Ruud, the Serbian underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.
“I’m still believing that Novak is Superman because what he has done this tournament with a surgery just a few weeks before the tournament began. It is amazing. It is unbelievable,” Alcaraz said. “Honestly, as I said on court, I was talking to my team that the work that Novak has done has been unbelievable. [Giving] himself the chance to be able to play the tournament and making the final, it’s something out of this world for me. I beat him today, but for me Novak is still being like a Superman.”
As happy as Alcaraz is with his latest triumph, he knows this is just another step in his journey. The 15-time tour-level titlist is excited to get back to work on his game.
“I have to keep improving everything, I guess. My forehand, at this level I think it can be better. Every year should be better,” Alcaraz said. “I think my game in general I think can improve it and deal with the situations. I can’t stop like this one. I have to keep growing up and keep improving.”
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