Carlos Alcaraz shuts down critics and portrays championship mettle. Since his Wimbledon win in 2023 where he bagged his second Grand Slam title at the age of 19 and became the youngest world no. 1, his form hasn’t been the same. Drawing flak for not winning, he got injured in his opening match at the Rio Open and had to withdraw.
Fully recovered now, the current world no. 2 is set to face fellow Spaniard and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas at the first-ever Netflix Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz – “I don’t see failure and frustration“
Netflix organized a pre-match presser ahead of the Nadal – Alcaraz match-up, where an all-Spanish contingent of journalists was in attendance. A total of 7 journalists had been designated to cover this presser. Speaking at the event, the young Spaniard gave a powerful answer when asked about his form after his Wimbledon win.
He explained, “The American tour I did after Wimbledon was not bad at all. What happens is that people think that if you don’t win titles, it’s bad, and it’s not like that. I made a few quarterfinals of a Masters 1000, the final in Cincinnati with Djokovic and semifinals of the US Open. What can be improved is starting in September. Not lowering the level and concentration as I did. I have talked about it. Juan Carlos has talked about it and we have also dealt with it internally. This year, I started with good feelings in Australia, then in Buenos Aires it’s not like I had the best and Rio was something unexpected, but it can happen. I don’t see failure and frustration in what happened after Wimbledon. I have to learn from those experiences and of those moments.”
The 20-year-old displayed maturity beyond his age, shutting the mouths of all those critics who have been doubting him this past year. After the presser, it’s clear the Spanish prodigy is back in action and is looking to regain his winning form.
Let’s take a look at what the best player to ever play the game had to say about Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic on Alcaraz – “haven’t played a player like him ever”
Carlos Alcaraz has been breaking records since he broke into the top 100 in May 2021. He is the youngest world number 1 and also the player credited with leaving Novak Djokovic with his first finals loss at the All England Club in a decade. After the match, Djokovic admitted “I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that.”
Boris Becker, now an analyst for Eurosport, thinks he is the only player to challenge the Big 3 and can prove to be a worthy successor. Completely recovered now, Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish Prodigy is looking to break more records.
Do you think Alcaraz can regain his previous form now that he’s recovered? Let us know your thoughts.
