IMAGE: Señor Alcaraz, you won the final against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. He said the young generation wanted his scalp, but they weren’t getting it yet. When will you finally get his scalp?
Carlos Alcaraz (20): As far as the young generation with Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune and me are concerned, we have already won against him. I think we are slowly, in a good way, losing awe and daring to win against him in big matches. We will improve to do that against him several times. But as long as Novak continues to play at a high level in this form, things will become very complicated and we will always see him as one of the best.
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Djokovic is incredibly fit. Have you ever asked him how he does it at 36 years old?
No, because I’m sure he won’t tell me that. We are rivals, we respect each other, and we get along well, but there are things we keep to ourselves. We cannot give our opponents any tips. It is known that it has to do with nutrition and sleep, and daily work is fundamental to this. I believe Novak does all of this perfectly – 24 hours a day.
Can you, Sinner and Rune become a triumvirate like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic?
I think it will be very complicated for us to achieve something similar – if not impossible. We can only have a good rivalry. We’ll play a lot of tournaments together, we’ll play against each other a lot, and we’ll see how far this rivalry goes.
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What does Rafael Nadal mean to you?
I often watched Federer’s games as a small child, I won’t deny that. But my idol has always been Rafa because he is Spanish and because of the way he plays: the passion he shows. People say that I am his successor, but I don’t see it that way. There is only one Rafa Nadal and it is impossible for anyone to be like him.
Alcaraz: “Zverev has incredible potential”
You have played three Grand Slam quarterfinals against Alexander Zverev, losing two, most recently in Melbourne. Will he win another Grand Slam title?
Zverev has an incredible game, is without a doubt one of the best in the world right now, and I have no doubt he will win a Grand Slam title. The question is whether this year, next year or in the next three to four years. He has already played a final that he lost because of the smallest details (US Open 2020 against Dominic Thiem; editor). He also had this injury in the semifinals of Roland Garros against Nadal in 2022. That was very painful for him and the tennis world. He was at his peak performance and could have won the match and Paris against Rafa. He was very close to winning a Grand Slam, but sooner or later he will win one.
Carlos Alcaraz (r.) and Alexander Zverev have already fought three big tennis battles
Photo: MARTIN KEEP/AFP
In your opinion, why hasn’t he made it yet?
What a Grand Slam tournament demands of you is brutal. You have to deal with that first. After my first title, I knew how I could improve if I wanted to have this chance again. Then I made it even better. I think he and his team know better than me why it hasn’t worked out so far, but mentally and physically – and in terms of his tennis level – he has the quality to make it happen.
Her brother Jaime, just twelve years old, is said to be a mega-talent. Will he ever be better than you?
He is still very young and small, but the truth is that he is good and I see that he has a lot of desire to play tennis. What I like most is that he always just wants to play tennis, that he has a lot of fun on the court. That is the most important thing for me.
His greatest triumph: Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon in 2023
Foto: Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz’ dream: final against brother Jaime
Do you dream of a Grand Slam final against your brother?
First of all, I would like him to become a professional. I will support him in everything. It would be a dream to play a Grand Slam final against him, and an even bigger dream for my father. As sorry as I am for Jaime, I would want to win, but it would be unique to our family.
The Laver Cup, the duel between Europe and the rest of the world, will take place in Berlin in September. What does it mean to you to play as captain at the Laver Cup under legend Björn Borg?
Learning from someone like Björn Borg, who is a legend in the sport in general, is wonderful. I hope to hear an anecdote or two from him when he was a player. I will enjoy these moments because they will be unique.
2024-03-06 09:05:02
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