EHe is the best tennis player of the moment. Carlos Alcaraz, brand new Godó champion and defender of the Mutua Madrid Open crown, sits down with MARCA to review his brilliant career, the influence of social networks in his life, his hobbies outside of tennis and the most exciting goals he has for in front of.
Ask. It’s hard for people to normalize defeats, you’ve gotten used to winning almost always.
Answer. It all depends on how you win and how you lose. I am not used to winning, far from it. I earn for the consequence of work. But if I play well and lose, like the Miami match with Sinner, I walk away with my head held high. If I lose the world doesn’t end. I did not get used to victory nor do I make a drama with defeat.
Q. You get motivated by singing ‘Eye of the tiger’ with your team. Do they usually do it on the way to the tournament or in the locker room?
R. We usually sing it in the car, when we go from the hotel to the club. I also sometimes wear it when I’m doing mobility exercises at the gym. In Barcelona I didn’t wear it because we were close to the tournament and I didn’t even have time.
Q. You have commented that the only difference with respect to last year is the maturity with the reading you make of the matches on the court. Does Juan Carlos Ferrero, his coach, have to talk to him less than before?
R. He talks to me the same. It is a help. The perspective they have from outside is broader and everything looks better than when you’re inside.
Q. You realized that you could beat Rafael Nadal after the Indian Wells semifinal, in 2022. You beat him later in Madrid. Would you like to beat Rafa at Roland Garros for all that this tournament means?
R. Obviously. I have always said that I like to play against the best and Nadal is one of the best in history, there is no doubt about it. His tournament is Roland Garros, he has more titles, but this is the most symbolic for him. I would love to play him at Roland Garros, take on him and see what happens. I think he could beat him, but Rafa has a thousand lives there.
I could beat Rafa in Paris, but I also know that he has 1,000 lives there.”
Q. There is always talk of the game that allows a player to click on his career. Was that turning point for you last season in Indian Wells?
R. Yes, it was a very positive tournament for me. I realized that I could measure myself against the best, that I could win a Masters 1000 and that I could beat any player. I demonstrated it later in Miami and then here in Madrid. But it is true that the turning point was in Indian Wells.
Alcaraz ‘inside’: control of social networks, tattoos, managing fame…
Q. At the end of December you tattooed the three ‘C’s (head, heart and balls), the maxim that your grandfather instilled in you. Also the date of his first ‘Grand Slam’. He may run out of arm space if he tries to get all the big titles tattooed on him.
R. It was clear to me that I wanted to tattoo the first Grand Slam and my grandfather’s motto. They had to be with me for life. If I’m earning more, I’ll see what I do.
Q. Does the fact that the artist is your friend Ganga, the chosen one of the stars, make it easier for you to get tattooed?
R. The fact that one of the best tattoo artists in the world is from my town made me see that he had to do it first. He is a crack at his thing and he helped me do them.
Q. Tell me about your friendship with Jimmy Butler, a reference for the Miami Heat.
R. He was in Buenos Aires on vacation and said he wanted to see my finale. He is a tennis fan. He is a good friend of Zverev, of Emma Raducanu, of Coco Gauff… he is a fan of tennis. I was like oysters, Jimmy wants to come see one of my games and he was like shocked. From then on we developed a good relationship. In Miami he came to see me several games, I went to see him once and I loved him. We keep talking a little bit and I follow him.
I was one of those who if I didn’t feel like doing something, I would leave it for tomorrow”
Q. How was the experience of visiting the Nike headquarters in Beaverton?
R. The site is absolutely crazy. The number of people who work there, the buildings with the names of hundreds of athletes… It’s amazing, it was a very nice experience.
Q. They design your shoes to measure to fit the insoles well. Is it an extra help to play?
R. The foot for a tennis player is super important. It is something that we have been working on for a long time and looking at what could be better for me. It is a fundamental weapon and it helps me a lot in the face of the demand that I am having. Having a good foothold is everything.
Q. You have always confessed that you take fame well. Are you aware that there are things that when you go out you can no longer do for your public image?
R. Now that people know me and have me as a reference, there are things I can’t do and I shy away from doing them. But they are very, very few. I am the same guy as always and everything I do comes naturally to me. Not because of who you are or the character you are in the face of society you have to act one way or another. You have to be natural and I am on a daily basis.
Q. You have repeated that you have learned to take care of yourself on and off the slopes to avoid injuries. What makes it different?
R. The theme of rest It is normal for a 19-year-old boy not to pay as much attention to rest, to be on the phone until all hours… Not taking care of those small details that in the end play a trick on you. Thanks to the injuries I have realized that I had to take care of those small details. Going to rest early, food, supplementation, taking everything to the letter was very important. I was one of those who, if I didn’t feel like doing something, would leave it for tomorrow. And it chained several days. Now I make everything more perfect.
You have to know how to control the phone and distinguish work from leisure”
Q. Does your technician keep an eye on the time you spend on your mobile?
R. Quite a lot, Juan Carlos is quite on top of this. The telephone, new technologies and social networks are advancing more and more and are becoming more important in our day to day. But you have to know how to control it and manage it. It takes up many hours if you don’t control it and the end of the day comes and you realize that you haven’t taken advantage of it because you’ve been on your mobile. You have to know how to distinguish the telephone for work and for leisure.
Q. A couple of years ago, when you weren’t a star yet, you watched a lot of tennis. Are you still watching so much when you’re not playing or trying to tune out as much as possible?
R. I watch less tennis, but I don’t miss the matches that interest me either live or through videos. When I’m with friends, I try not to pick up the phone too much. But I follow it, especially the results for men, women, challengers, futures, I do like to have it under control.
Q. There are players who don’t like to see each other. Do you watch your matches to see what you do well and what you do badly?
R. I watch a lot of repeat matches and a lot of recaps. The truth is that I like it because it is a good way to learn.
Q. The Equelite Academy in Villena is 500 meters high and Madrid is 657. Is it an advantage to prepare for the Mutua Madrid Open?
R. It is an advantage facing Madrid and can be a disadvantage for Monte Carlo. Here I have always played very well, since I was 12 years old. Training at altitude is much better to play this tournament.
If I say you can’t win a tournament 14 times I put limits on myself.”
Q. The name of Rafael Nadal that inspires you?
R. I am inspired by the courage and winning gene within. In the end, that rage that he has on the track of wanting to win and doing everything possible to win. To never leave, to never give up and go for it all. For me mentally it is an example and it is also in other areas.
Q. Would Rafa take what he just told me?
R. I would stay with this and the mental issue. No matter how many problems come up, he always provides solutions and never makes excuses. He has experienced many games in which he has been dead and he has known how to turn it around. And that is not easy at all, staying mentally strong to find solutions. It is something that I would like to take from Rafa, the ability that he has to adapt to any situation.
Q. As long as Nadal plays at Roland Garros, is he always going to be the main candidate?
R. Obviously. A player who has won a tournament 14 times will always go as a favourite.
Q. Is someone going to be able to win a tournament as important as the one in Paris 14 times?
R. I was going to say no but then I put a limit on myself, so I will say that it is almost impossible to win any tournament 14 times even if it is 250. But let’s try, in life you have to challenge yourself, hopefully I can be like Rafa in this .
Q. Do you identify with the Nike kits because the colors are very striking?
R. I don’t choose them. This latest model is the most striking that she has worn, without a doubt, but it is true that it is very similar to my style, to who I am, and so far it has worked well for me.
Q. After winning the US Open, what ‘Grand Slam’ would you like to win?
R. Roland Garros has always been the Grand Slam for the Spanish and I would love to win it, but I would be especially excited to win at Wimbledon.
I’m excited to win Wimbledon, last year I was shocked.”
Q. You have special faith in grass, why?
R. My style of play can go quite well on grass because I’m aggressive, I go to the net, I hit hard, and that’s what you have to do on grass. I was once told that grass is like a boxing match, that you have to try to hit first so they don’t hit you, and it’s a good similarity.
Q. Last year you were blocked when you first stepped foot in the center of the All England Club to play with Jannik Sinner. What happened?
R. Playing at Wimbledon central blocked me, I was shocked. I didn’t know how to manage playing on that court. It was hard to adjust to it.
Q. How different is that surface compared to the others?
R. I couldn’t tell you why, it’s the cathedral of tennis, everything is so beautiful and I felt it differently.
Q. Can you say that you have friends on the circuit?
R. Pablo Carreño is a friend and some other player out there. I get along well with everyone.
Q. It is said that the new ‘Big Three’ will be you, Rune and Sinner. Perhaps with Lorenzo Musetti we already have the ‘Big Four’?
R. The truth is that if. Lorenzo is there and has had super good results and has a level to be at the top and it would be cool.
Q. What trip do you want to do that you haven’t been able to do yet?
R. The Caribbean is a cool destination, the Maldives, Thailand… are places I would like to go.
Q. Your main hobby outside of tennis?
R. The golf. I have little free time and what I do have is used to play golf. It is the only sport that I practice apart from tennis.
If I play at four, I take a nap at two, I adapt it to the schedule”
Q. You can’t do naps anymore because they almost always make you play in the afternoon session.
R. I do it but at two, I keep doing it. I adapt the nap to any schedule.
Q. Your older brother Álvaro is one of the team. Does it help to have him around?
R. He is a great support for me because in addition to my brother he is my best friend. Spending moments with him is always a joy. Having him in the tournaments helps me to be well.
Q. What are your superstitions when you are in full competition?
R. I try to repeat things that are going well even if they are nonsense. If at the beginning of the week I do one thing and win the first game, I try to do the same.
2023-04-27 04:09:10
#play #Nadal #Roland #Garros #tournament
