[ad_1]
The Spaniard said it was a dream come true when Carlos Alcaraz lifted the US Open trophy in New York and became the youngest world number one in ATP history.
Three months on, the 19-year-old feels like he’s still dreaming, as he admits he hasn’t fully absorbed it yet.
“It sounded like a dream to me. Honestly, I’ve thought about it a lot this year and where I’m at, and I still can’t believe it. I’m thinking, ‘Is this real? I’m World No. 1? I’m dreaming. It’s something I have to realize someday,” Alcaraz told Arab News in an interview ahead of his upcoming debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships.
One possible reason Alcaraz still doesn’t fully appreciate his achievement is that he doesn’t even have time to celebrate. “I’m going to have dinner with everyone and it’s going to be the best time of the year,” he said.
The tennis merry-go-round barely stops, spinning at a relentless pace, with little opportunity for players to take a moment to appreciate their victories or lament their losses.
The day after Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title in New York, he hopped on a plane to Valencia to join his Spanish teammates for the Davis Cup. He then played in Astana, Basel and Paris before withdrawing from the final two races of the season with a torn left abdominal muscle.
He is “almost 100 per cent” back from the injury and is expected to be training “normally” within a week.
“I play a lot of tournaments and don’t have the time to achieve 100 percent at the U.S. Open. Of course, it’s a great feeling for me. All I can say is that nothing has changed,” he said when asked about playing at the U.S. Open. On what it was like to be a Grand Slam champion and the men’s No. 1 player after the match, Alcaraz said.
For him, the tour just goes on and he just wants to keep up.
I am in 2022 #TIME100NEXT list! @time https://t.co/4hFSDqzlK0 pic.twitter.com/aDBSjYufIZ
– Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) September 28, 2022
“Obviously yes, everybody wants to beat the No. 1 in the world. I can feel that after the US Open, everyone is targeting me, everyone wants to play against me on the court. That’s what I have to do Good preparation,” he added.
Alcaraz has a 6-4 record since the U.S. Open, including two losses to Felix Auger-Aliassime, a first-round loss to David Goffin in Astana and a quarterfinal loss at the Paris Masters. Retired against eventual champion Holger Rune.
“After the US Open, it was difficult for him to adapt to his new role on tour,” explained Alcaraz’s coach, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“I’ve talked to him about how he has to manage everything, but I think he needs to feel and live, to play, to feel the pressure of being number one, to play and be number one. It’s not easy in the beginning, 19 years old At his age, he is not very mature to be able to control everything that is happening to him now.
“He’s at a point where he needs to live like this and feel what he’s going through and adapting to. He knows it’s going to be like this at least until the Australian Open, so he needs to try to be normal and not at the same time. But he has to. “
recovery mode active @JuanjoMoreno_M And Alberto Ledo! pic.twitter.com/Zxzk77TQgD
– Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) November 11, 2022
Alcaraz said he was fully prepared to lose his top spot given the fierce competition at the top level and the pressure to defend his five titles next year. But the Spaniard stressed he will do everything he can to “recover numbers”, noting how Grand Slams will once again be his main goal in 2023.
If Alcaraz lacks inspiration on how to spend his first year as world No. 1, he might just look to the women’s tour, where Iga Swiatek has been thriving.
The 21-year-old Pole shot up to the top spot after Ashleigh Barty unexpectedly announced her retirement from the sport in March.
Swatek took his chances with both hands and gave it his all, building a 37-match winning streak over five months before losing in the third round at Wimbledon in July.
“I’ve seen her have an unbelievable year where she broke what I think is the longest winning streak (of the century). It’s fantastic,” Alcaraz said of Swiatek.
“I hope, like her, not to lose No. 1. But I think that’s next to impossible. I will lose it, but the point is to recover it and stay on No. 1 as much as possible.”
About that night! pic.twitter.com/U560MfPFbu
– Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) November 18, 2022
One of the things Alcaraz and Swiatek have in common is their strong belief in the importance of sports psychology in their professions.
Swiatek has a traveling sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, who attends most of her events, and the work they do together has proven to be a real game-changer for her.
Alcaraz works with a psychologist named Isabel Balaguer, and Ferrero says the team has benefited greatly from her expertise. “She’s an important facet of what we do.”
“He’s been working with her for two years. It’s not once a week, but every time he feels he needs to talk to her about something that might not be right, or something that’s causing him more trouble in the game, he does. Talk to her and try to correct it a little bit,” Ferrero said.
“I chat with her every week. She talks to me about how he’s been doing, how he’s training and all the things we’ve been talking about with him after the US Open and we’re trying to work through everything, so she’s working really hard. it is good.”
Ferrero and Alcaraz have been working together since the end of 2018 and forged a special friendship. The former French Open champion sees Alcaraz as “another son” and believes they share the same values.
We will @juankiferri! https://t.co/NqES3imR5I
– Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) December 1, 2022
Alcaraz’s meteoric rise has been accompanied by incredible popularity, both within Spain and globally. His contagious energy, electrifying style of play and humility on and off the court swept the tennis world – and the raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd at Arthur Ashe’s fall US Open was proof of that .
“It’s very special for us and I’m glad people like him, I think it’s because of his strength on the pitch and his enthusiasm and the way he says ‘vamos’, I think people feel this potential in him , this passion,” Ferrero explained.
“I remember from the moment I started working with him, we traveled the world when he was 16 or 17, and even at the time he wasn’t that famous, he was very charismatic in the game, everybody went Watching Carlos out there on the pitch. I’m not surprised to see everyone loves him, he smiles, he’s nice to everyone, he’s a nice guy.”
Ferrero said Alcaraz’s family treated him well and did not put pressure on him.
“Carlos is lucky with the family he has. His father … played tennis at a high level in Spain, he was in the top 30, so he was able to understand how his son would work with a coach,” Ferrero said .
“Here I was at the academy and he let him grow without being absolutely involved in everything. I think his dad trusted me from the beginning and he made me very fluid in all areas. We have a really good relationship.”
Complete 2022 #The World Trade Center queue
Abu Dhabi’s most popular sporting event returns in December.See only the best players in the game play #in Abu Dhabi.
Get your tickets here: https://t.co/wiMPDoZey8#ThisIsMWTC pic.twitter.com/mUu6FCvCxb
— Mubadala World Tennis Championships (@MubadalaWTC) November 30, 2022
Ferrero will soon travel to Abu Dhabi alongside Alcaraz, with the Spaniard facing either Andriy Rublev or Francis Tiafoe in his opening match on Friday, December 17.
The match in Abu Dhabi will give them the opportunity to take advantage of Zayed Sports City’s state-of-the-art training facilities, bat against other top players at the event, and compete in an authentic competition environment.
Ferrero knows it will take a lot of work from Alcaraz in 2023 to maintain his place among the game’s elite. “He has to deal with everything. He is 19 years old, he will be 20 next year, but at that age it is impossible to be perfect in all areas,” said the Valencia coach.
“So with the forehand he has to work on the small details, the same with the backhand, of course he has to be more consistent on the serve, on the return I want him to be more aggressive, on the net he needs to clean up a little bit what he does Wrong. I prepared for the end of the season very specifically to try to improve a lot of things.
“You can’t tell someone just because he’s No. 1 in the world that he’s complete and doesn’t need work, it’s definitely the opposite. He needs to keep working hard in all the areas he needs to be, and that’s what we’re going to do. “
[ad_2]
Source link