These are not the easiest times that Carlos Alcaraz is currently going through. Heaped with advance praise, the Spaniard quickly lived up to expectations and laughed from the top of the world rankings for the first time in September 2022. This year too, the exceptional talent from El Palmar impressed with the Grand Slam titles in Paris and Wimbledon, but the trophy for number one position at the end of the year was presented to rival Jannik Sinner in Turin.
In addition to the two major trophies, Alcaraz also won the titles in Indian Wells and Beijing this year, but Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé also repeatedly suffered surprisingly early defeats, such as most recently in Paris-Bercy (round of 16) or at the US Open or in Cincinnati (2nd round each). Too often, the 21-year-old’s body thwarted his plans due to injuries or illnesses.
Just like now at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he scored a clear 1:6, 5:7 defeat against Casper Ruud at the start. According to Alcaraz, an upset stomach was responsible for the fall. “I don’t like to talk about things like that because it sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper has done. But when I feel bad, I feel bad. That was the case this time,” explained the Iberian, who was already feeling mentally tired after the long season.
Nevertheless, the finals should not end prematurely for the Spaniard, in today’s second group game against Andrej Rublew (the Russian lost his opener against Alex Zverev 4:6, 4:6) Alcaraz wants to preserve his semi-final chance with a win. If he wins the tournament, he would be the first Spanish winner since Alex Corretja in 1998.
After Turin, senior Alcaraz is going to the Davis Cup final tournament in Malaga, and after a short vacation he will start preparing for 2025. And the 16-time tournament winner wants to take part right at the beginning of the year, as he is only missing the Grand Slams nor the title at the Australian Open. If he succeeded in the coup, he would also celebrate this success with a tattoo.
After his victory at the 2022 US Open, he had his grandfather’s motto, “Cabeza, corazon, cajones” (head, heart, bass), tattooed on his head. Since his Wimbledon triumph in 2023, a strawberry has adorned his right ankle in keeping with the culinary tradition of the tournament, and this year he had an Eiffel Tower pierced after his French Open title. And the appreciation for a possible victory in Melbourne? “A kangaroo,” revealed Alcaraz in Turin.
