Wearing a retro-style black swimsuit, with huge lapels, very seventies, Carlos Alcaraz seems once more in the principle press room at Roland Garros. An uncommon place for the standard press assembly with the match champion the day after the ultimate. The safety measures within the metropolis of Paris, just some days earlier than the Olympic Video games, encourage the selection of the stage the place the 21-year-old from Murcia seems to talk with the particular envoys of the Spanish media, after the photograph session with the Cup of the Musketeers, within the Philippe Chatrier stands.
Statistics say that he’s the primary U-22 to have gained Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Do you assume he’s higher than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at 21 years outdated?
A yr in the past I noticed movies of them at that age, however ultimately they’re highlights, I am unable to examine myself. In the long run, as I’ve all the time mentioned, it does not matter what I’ve achieved at this age if I stagnate right here. I need to proceed within the race, proceed rising and get to the place Djokovic and Rafa are, and the place Federer was, till not too long ago. The nice ones, the celebs, have continued their careers, enhancing and enhancing till they attain 37 or 38, nonetheless at their greatest.
“It does not matter what I’ve achieved if I stagnate.”
Nonconformist
Do you see your self enjoying at 38 years outdated?
Why not?
How do you need to handle issues to know that after such nice success you need to now give attention to Wimbledon and the Video games?
You must take pleasure in these kind of moments. After all of the work and struggling to win these trophies, you need to mix work with enjoyment. What I am studying, although I am nonetheless 21, is that ultimately I am nonetheless attending to know myself. What I want, do it, how to not do it. And I am realizing that you need to reconcile work and struggling with these days of relaxation and freedom to do what you want, to really feel not like a tennis participant, however like a child or a traditional particular person. That additionally helps you isolate your self and clear your thoughts to get again on monitor at your 100%. After these moments, after profitable tournaments, you need to know take pleasure in them along with your individuals and benefit from them.
Which three pictures from Sunday would you select?
One involves me making ready earlier than the sport, an hour earlier than, with the bandages, we’re all within the physio room and commenting, additionally making jokes. The stress might be minimize with scissors. Then, once I went as much as the field to have fun, to hug all my individuals. And the final one, afterwards, with everybody having dinner and celebrating the victory.
“I used to be anxious that I would not get well 100%.”
Forearm damage
What do you assume can separate you from the dream of at some point competing to be the GOAT (The Best of All Time)?
I feel the pinnacle. In the long run, to endure for 16, 17 years on the prime of the rankings, on the prime of your stage, preventing for giant titles yr after yr, coping with strain, with accidents, with all the things, for me it’s one thing out of the query. the traditional. Having that continuity yr after yr is one thing that few obtain. So I feel that psychological energy and head is what’s going to possibly make me be in that debate tomorrow.
Enlarge
Alcaraz, within the stands at Roland Garros this morning. Teresa SuarezEFE
With the issues that your proper forearm has given you, did you’re feeling a degree of anguish or worry?
No, not a lot, actually. Within the first rounds of Roland Garros, after coming from Madrid, which is true that I seen it there they usually had been better of three units matches, a lot shorter, I used to be a bit of unsure about how my arm would react. in a best-of-five Grand Slam. That was a bit of sophisticated, however because the rounds glided by, I felt good, with none ache, though with warning. And the day of the semifinals was once I did not need to be self-conscious, to hit my forehand at 80 or 90%. That is once I mentioned, nicely, if I break or if it hurts, let it’s right here. It was not time to be afraid, however to belief within the work I had performed and fully overlook about all the things. Earlier than, once I needed to rule out tournaments, like Barcelona, it was mentally anguishing, since you use your forearm for all the things. I print plenty of pace, plenty of energy in every hit and there’s a lot of struggling. It’s an space through which I used to be very anxious pondering that I may not get well 100%.
“I might select Olympic gold over profitable Wimbledon once more”
Precedence
In your scale of priorities, what are you most enthusiastic about, retaining the Wimbledon title or profitable gold on the Olympic Video games?
It’s sophisticated, however the Video games are each 4 years and it’s a particular match, through which you don’t play for your self, however for a rustic and also you characterize all Spaniards. I feel that this yr I might select Olympic gold.
Does it nonetheless appear a bit of surreal to you, as a 21-year-old boy from El Palmar, to see your self in these conditions and movies through which you make historical past?
Sure, we proceed to stay it with the best enthusiasm and once I see movies of once I was little, right here in Paris, beneath the Eiffel Tower, watching Roland Garros, being years later lifting the Cup is gorgeous and I stay it with particular enthusiasm, as if I used to be residing a dream. With the ability to win titles like this and particularly Roland Garros, which was the match I had watched since I used to be little. I actually needed it to occur. Even when it’s the third Grand Slam or if I win the tenth, I’ll proceed residing it as if it had been the primary.
Your life proper now is sort of a magical story. All the things goes very nicely, terribly nicely. Is there one thing mistaken in your life?
It’s by no means a mattress of roses, neither professionally nor personally. You must cope with little issues that occur. In the mean time, I take into account myself a really blissful particular person, each in my sporting life, the place all the things goes very nicely, and in my private life. We additionally haven’t any massive considerations outdoors of tennis. This additionally helps to stay comfortably and peacefully. I’m very blissful and really blissful, particularly to have the individuals I’ve round me and to have the ability to stay this second with them.
“I are likely to cry extra out of frustration than out of happiness.”
Emotions
When do you assume it is possible for you to to play with out the compression mesh in your arm?
Proper now, on grass, with exhausting balls, it should be a bit of troublesome to take it off. At Wimbledon I do not forget that in 2022 I additionally had the elbow drawback, which is why I additionally needed to placed on the brace. I do not know if I am going to proceed carrying it on this tour. It is one thing I am going to speak to the crew about. However it should additionally rely on my sensations, how I see myself and above all if it calms me mentally.
Do you cry extra due to accidents and the frustration of not with the ability to play or due to pleasure?
I are likely to cry extra out of frustration than out of happiness. I do not cry rather a lot and with the damage situation I’ve cried a few instances once I needed to miss sure tournaments that I used to be very enthusiastic about.
“I’ve handed my pending topic in Paris, however not with registration”
Modesty
Have you ever fully handed the pending topics you had in Paris?
Final yr I clearly failed. However we got here with our homework performed and this yr we had been in a position to do significantly better. I feel I’ve handed a topic that I had pending, however not with a grade, not with registration. It’s a job that I’ve to proceed doing, enhancing, rising. And I feel I’ll achieve this because the years go by. We have now performed an excellent job this final yr.
Pause within the anti-gluten food regimen and champagne
Because the canons dictate, Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his victory at Roland Garros with a dinner in Paris, surrounded by his family members, and took the chance to calm down a bit of the self-discipline he has adopted in current weeks. “Yesterday I celebrated with my household, with the individuals who got here from Murcia, with my associates. We went to dinner and clearly I did all the things I wasn’t doing through the match. I ate what I wasn’t consuming. I’m coping with the difficulty of gluten and so forth, as a result of yesterday I loosened my foot and acquired carried away a bit of. We needed to toast with champagne, which was additionally the event after which I left early,” Carlitos defined.
Associated information
The three-time Grand Slam winner didn’t go to mattress too late and didn’t take the French Grand Slam trophy to mattress. “As we speak, I’m on a cloud. “I did not sleep with the Cup. I left it for my father and he loved it too.”
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