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On the eve of the Australian Open 2024, who are the tennis players who can challenge Novak Djokovic’s dominance? One of them is certainly the young Spanish talent Carlos Alcaraz, winner of the last Wimbledon (against Nole) and current ATP No.2. Djokovic started the season at the United Cup, picking up a wrist injury in the match lost against Alex De Minaur. An injury which, according to Nole himself and his coach Goran Ivanisevic, should not create problems for the Serbian for the Melbourne Fortnight.
Carlitos instead chose a different schedule, which did not include any official event before the Australian Open. A decision taken in order to arrive in Melbounre in an excellent psychological and physical state of shape. Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw, where he could face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.
And speaking of physical fitness, the Spanish tennis player gave an interview to Le Figaro, in which he spoke about his ambitions for the season that has just begun. “I naturally laugh on the court, I play to have fun and always try to do different things. When I started playing, when I was four or five years old, it was already like that. I want to enjoy this whole experience because I am living my childhood dream, I still perceive tennis as a fun game and nothing more, deep down I believe that part of my success is due to having a smile on my face, I believe it reflects on my level of play,” said Carlitos.
Carlos Alcaraz is at 70% of his potential
Alcaraz then expressed his opinion about the crowds: “One of the things I love is seeing the crowd enjoy when I make special plays and it gives me energy to perform at my best level. I love making short balls and at the same time hitting the ball in a strong to frighten my opponents.”
Finally, the tennis player continued on what is needed to improve: “No matter how many technical resources I have, there are still aspects that I need to improve on and I am aware of this. My tennis is good but I need to grow on a physical and mental level. I’m only 20 years old and I think I have a lot of room for improvement. Tennis is constantly evolving and you need to know how to adapt to new needs. At the moment I think I’m at 70-75% of my potential.”
