Carlos Alcaraz he is used to the noise of the spotlights. The title of him in the US Open 2022 It has probably also meant the end of his freedom and his rise to the status of ‘public figure’: seldom will he be able to walk down the street unrecognized, seldom will he be able to dodge questions at every media appearance. That has a price at which the El Palmar He will have to get used to it, although until now he has carried everything with the same naturalness and friendliness that he has shown since he arrived on the circuit. Carlitos is still a 19-year-old boy, with the fears and ambitions that a person of that age would have, and he only focuses on continuing to work so as not to disappoint his team and his family, fully accustomed to everything that life entails in the circuit.
Thus, the ATP spoke with him after triumphing at Flushing Meadows and set out to make the Carlitos more personalto the one that exists behind the cameras and the spotlights of the great stadiums. “Before each game I don’t have a particular routine: I do my warm-up, in which I always try to do the same thing and try to always be in the same place with my team. If I feel like listening to music, I do it, if I don’t , nothing. During every game I have some superstitions, like always choose four balls, throw them five timesthe bottles have to be in a particular order, take a bite of the energy bar before the banana (laughs)…”details a Carlos who not only talked about his habits on the track, but also how he is off the court.
“I’m a pretty simple person and that’s what I enjoy the most, sitting on a bench with five or six friends, in a house or in a car, talking quietly and telling anecdotes, that’s what makes me happy”. The tranquility of being with his closest friends contrasts with his fears, fears that reflect the pressure that she can feel on his shoulders: “Sincerely, I am afraid of failure. That’s one of my biggest fears, letting people down. I am afraid of not meeting expectations. Even if he is number one in the world and has won a Grand Slam, there will be tournaments where he does not live up to expectations. Above all, I don’t want to disappoint the people around me, especially those closest to me.”confesses an Alcaraz who also has more mundane phobias, see the dark or horror movies.
Another aspect on which the Murcian reflects is the presence of a sports psychologist within his team. The role of Isabel Balaguer is crucial for him, with whom he has been working “of the three seasons”. Carlitos’ success cannot be understood without the peace of mind that she brings him, especially when making decisions on the track. “She is one of the reasons why I am number one today. I have improved a lot thanks to her. In tennis, having a mental coach is very important: you have to deal with the pressure week after week and throughout the year you have to be mentally fresh. I’m not saying that without a psychologist it would be impossible, but much more difficult“explains a Carlos who indicates that Isabel’s area of work focuses on offering some tools to make the best decisions on the track, not so much when it comes to dealing with journalists or people.
DREAMS TO FULFILL
Alcaraz is already number one in the world and has entered the Olympus of Grand Slam champions at just 19 years old. To be sure, successes are frightening, but can you want much more? Is there something Carlitos still longs for? The answer does not take long to come out of his mouth: “I would be excited to play against Federer, as well as beat a Big Three player in a Grand Slam. I’ve always said that to be the best, you have to beat the best.”. A complete declaration of intentions by someone to whom no one has given anything, who admits that getting here “It has not been a bed of roses” and that he has only one thing on his mind: to continue improving and progressing to, why not, mark an era in the world of tennis.
