On cusp of 20th birthday, Carlos Alcaraz takes tennis pressure and expectation in stride: 'It's motivation'
The world No. 2 is the favourite at the Madrid Open, which is missing both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal due to injury.
Tennis
Carlos Alcaraz arrives to his own personal centre stage this week on the ATP Tour: The Spanish teenager is the top seed at the biggest tennis event played in his home country, the Mutua Madrid Open.
The teenager will turn 20 years old before the Sunday (7 May) final - his birthday is 5 May - and he arrives as the world No. 2 off the back of triumph in another familiar place, the Barcelona Open, his ninth career title.
But while some great athletes shrink as attention, expectation and pressure on them grows, the reigning U.S. Open (and Madrid) champion enjoys soaking it in.
In fact, he said, he loves it.
“I really like playing in front of so many people, even more here in Spain. It’s a really big motivation,” Alcaraz told a pack of some 30 Spanish journalists who gathered around him earlier this week in Madrid. “My intention is to enjoy playing – and also the crowd to have fun.”
On pressure, he said: “I don’t feel the pressure, actually to me is the complete opposite: it’s motivation.”
Carlos Alcaraz: A ‘we’ mentality with Juan Carlos Ferrero
As Alcaraz has made his meteoric rise up the tennis rankings, he has been flanked by a consistent, close-knit team that is led by former world No. 1 and 2003 Roland-Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, who began coaching Alcaraz when he was just 15.
As “Carlitos” – as he’s called – ventures into unknown territory, Juan Carlos has been a steady voice, so much so that Alcaraz speaks in “we” statements over “me:” “We have a few days to train before we start,” he said of Madrid.
“I feel very good and at 100 percent. ... After winning the title in Barcelona, I come here with a lot of confidence. We all know it’s not easy to adapt to [the conditions in] Madrid.”
What Alcaraz is also adapting to, as well, is all eyes on him – all the time. Madrid lost both world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal to injuries, meaning that the favourite status and the fanfare has – for better and for worse – landed on Alcaraz's shoulders.
“When the best players are not in the tournament, it’s a bit easier,” Alcaraz admitted. “But as I’ve always said, every player here is super good and has chances to win the title. Despite all the players who withdrew from the tournament, I don’t feel I’m the favourite. Neither me nor my team feel like I’m the favourite. We always take it match by match.”
That first match is against world No. 41 Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland, while Alcaraz could see a rematch of last year’s final in the fourth round against Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.
First-time ATP Masters 1000 champion from Monte-Carlo, Andrey Rublev, could linger in the quarter-finals, too.
Alcaraz on being No. 1 - again: 'It's one of my goals'
Though the comparisons have been made ad nauseam with Nadal, Alcaraz doesn’t invest much in them these days: “Pero lo de Rafa y las comparaciones es algo que no pienso,” he said, which translates roughly as, “Regarding Rafa and the comparisons with him, it’s something that is not relevant to me.”
What is relevant is Alcaraz being one of six (six!) players that could claim the world No. 1 ranking before next month’s Roland-Garros, which begins on 28 May. Alcaraz, who reached the top spot by winning his first major in New York last year, has spent 22 weeks there already.
“To be No. 1 again is one of my goals, but it doesn’t have to do with the French Open,” he said. “It wouldn’t change much to me to get there being No. 1 or No. 2 [in Paris].”
What Alcaraz – and his team – maintains his focus on is internal: His attitude and his approach. Since stunning Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev to win here a year ago, he said he’s grown in his “maturity and experience.”
“When I’m going to a tournament, I always think I’m capable of winning it, but I won’t take it as a failure if I don’t win it,” he explained. “To me, the failure would be to leave the tournament not being happy with my attitude. If my attitude is fine, I do well mentally and I play well, I wouldn’t take it as a failure.”
Alcaraz continued: “My goal is simply to give all the best in every match, the best level and enjoy it. When I’m having fun on the court is when I get the best version of myself. So, we just think about having fun and [want] the crowd to enjoy it. I don’t think on the points I will earn in each round or anything.”