Carlos Alcaraz has shown the world what it means to be a true champion. Winning four Grand Slams in such a short span is an extraordinary feat, especially at such a young age. But behind the glory and the accolades, there’s a side of Alcaraz that few get to see. A side that’s been touched by pain, challenges, and sacrifices. 

The 21-year-old tennis sensation engaged in an interview with Euro Sports ahead of his hard-court campaign at the Cincinnati Masters. He deliberated a wide range of topics including his upcoming campaigns and the grand achievements he witnessed this season. But, he also opened up about the challenges he faced in establishing his name vehemently in the tennis corridors. 

Speaking in the interview, Alcaraz said, “ Yes honestly, it has been really good couple last, the last couple of months. Great, great results.” Alcaraz started his Grand Slam victory of the year at the French Open where he defeated Alexander Zverev in the final. He also won his second Wimbledon title after defeating Novak Djokovic for the second consecutive year. But while the Serbian took his revenge on the Paris clay and took gold, Alcaraz still went home with a silver. However, these victories were accompanied by physical stress as well.

“Really, I mean it was really demanding you know, the the Roland Garros and Wimbledon playing, great matches. I was probably, uh, down physically with a few pains that I have to care about.”

Alcaraz was seen in pain during his second-round match against Tallon Griekspoor at the Paris Olympics. In the second set of his 6-1, 7-6 (3) singles victory, he also took a medical timeout and later revealed it to be a result of a groin pain. “It’s a pain that I’ve been dealing with. I know what I have to do … to deal with this pain,” he said after the match. 

Continuing further, he revealed the precautions he took to overcome such challenges. “And that’s why I had probably more days just to recover and not doing anything.” Alcaraz played just one tournament between his French Open and Wimbledon campaign, at the Queen’s Club championship. Interestingly, he did not play any tournament between Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics. However, he is pleased with the eventual results. “But yeah, honestly I am really pleased about the, the last three tournaments that I had.”

Winning the French Open and Wimbledon was a childhood dream for Alcaraz. In an adorable video that surfaced on social media, a young Alcaraz was asked what his dream would be if he were to become a professional tennis player. “To win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon,” he replied. As the Spaniard now gears up for his hard-court campaign, it would be interesting to see if he has learned from his past mistakes on the surface.

After conquering grass and clay, can Alcaraz overcome the hard court challenge?

The World No. 2 won the US Open in 2022, which was also his first Grand Slam title. But the subsequent year posed tremendous challenges ahead of him. He lost in the semi-finals against Daniil Medvedev 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, after which he reflected upon his maturity levels. 

Alcaraz reconsidered his skills and said, “These kinds of matches can happen, even if I feel like a different player, more mature,” Continuing further, he admitted the dominance of his opponent in the match. “He played really, really great, a great match. I couldn’t find any solutions. Right now, I am a better player to find solutions when the match is not going in the right direction. But after this match, I’m going to change my mind: I’m not mature enough to handle these kinds of matches, so I have to learn about it.”

As the star player gears up for the US Open, it would be interesting to see if the challenges and difficult situations have made him a more mature player, thereby giving him another opportunity to claim victory at Flushing Meadows.