Wearing a sublime black swimsuit, Carlos Alcaraz was again at Roland Garros on Monday to have his photograph taken with the Coupe des Mousquetaires earlier than leaving for a three-day vacation to disconnect after claiming his third main title in Paris.
Earlier than boarding a aircraft to neglect about tennis, for 72 hours at the least, the Spaniard spent nearly half an hour with all of the Spanish journalists who accompanied him all through the historic event, talking to them about his achievement, the ghosts of his forearm harm and the method of maturity he’s at the moment going by means of.
“Yesterday, I celebrated with my household, with the folks that got here from Murcia, with my pals,” mentioned the No. 2 within the PIF ATP Rankings of his Sunday night time. “We went out to dinner and clearly I did all the things I haven’t been doing in the course of the event and ate what I hadn’t been consuming. I’m usually cautious with gluten, however I took my foot off the pedal and let myself go slightly bit. Additionally, we needed to have a good time with champagne, the time was proper.
“Then I left early and that was it. Right now I’m on cloud 9.”
The Murcia native emphasised the significance of having fun with these moments.
“After all of the work, all of the sacrifice to win a trophy like that, you must get pleasure from it a bit. It’s one thing I’m studying, although I’m nonetheless 21 and I’m nonetheless attending to know myself: what I want, what I don’t want, do it, how to not do it,” he defined. “I’m realising that you must stability the times of working arduous and struggling with days of relaxation and the liberty to do what you need, to not really feel like a tennis participant, only a regular man. That helps you isolate your self and get up with a transparent head to exit onto court docket and provides 100 per cent.”
To get to that ‘cloud’, to benefit from the second by celebrating along with his family members, Alcaraz needed to endure some extraordinarily troublesome months that have been replete with pitfalls and mishaps.
In the beginning of the European clay season, when he was in Monte-Carlo making ready for his opener on the event, the Spaniard introduced his withdrawal from the third ATP Masters 1000 occasion of the season as the results of an issue along with his proper forearm, which meant he was unable to defend his title in Barcelona, too. Regardless of enjoying in Madrid, the place he was additionally the defending champion, he bowed out to Andrey Rublev within the quarter-finals and the ache got here again, forcing him to overlook Rome and placing his preparations for Roland Garros in jeopardy.
“I’m somebody who’s extra more likely to cry from frustration than from happiness,” admitted the 21-year-old. “I don’t cry a lot, however I did with the harm a few occasions after I needed to miss sure tournaments I used to be actually enthusiastic about.
“Mentally it was distressing. You employ your proper arm for all the things. I exploit quite a lot of pace and energy in each shot and my forearm actually suffers. I used to be apprehensive, pondering that I may not get better 100 per cent. In Madrid I performed 4 matches and it bothered me within the fourth. I couldn’t go to Rome. We did assessments and all the things essential to arrive right here in the most effective form, however my head saved asking questions.”
<img src="/-/media/photos/information/2024/06/09/18/40/alcaraz-roland-garros-2024-trophy.jpg" type="width:100%;" alt="Carlos Alcaraz” />
Photograph Credit score: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
After pulling out of Rome, he didn’t decide up a racquet for a couple of days. Alcaraz then launched into a coaching plan along with his crew to attempt and prepare for the primary day of Roland Garros. Given Sunday’s consequence, it’s truthful to say the plan labored.
“I used to be slightly unsure about how my arm would react at a Grand Slam, the most effective of 5 units,” he mentioned. “It was robust, however because the rounds glided by I used to be feeling good, no ache, although I used to be cautious.
“The day of the semi-finals was after I determined to throw warning to the wind when hitting my forehand. I mentioned, ‘If I harm myself, if it’s painful, then let or not it’s right here.’ It wasn’t the time to be scared and I needed to belief all of the work we’d executed and neglect about that.”
It was all that work, carried out earlier than and in the course of the Roland Garros fortnight, that allowed the participant from Murcia to attain one other dream and expertise one thing particular and inimitable.
“I additionally watch the movies of after I was little and I used to be in Paris underneath the Eiffel Tower, following Roland Garros,” revealed Alcaraz. “Lifting this cup a while afterwards… they’re superb moments. I’m dwelling a dream. Roland Garros may be very particular for me as a result of it was the event I adopted after I was little. I couldn’t look forward to it to reach in order that I may sit in entrance of the TV and watch all of the matches, and now…”
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Changing into the youngest participant to win three majors on the three surfaces (arduous, grass and clay) has led to extra comparisons with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the three gamers who tore up the document books for nearly 20 years.
“I’ve seen movies, however with a couple of highlights I can’t examine myself to what they have been like at my age,” reasoned Alcaraz. “Ultimately, as I’ve at all times mentioned, it doesn’t matter what I’ve achieved at this age if I now stand nonetheless. I wish to proceed my profession, I wish to continue to grow and get to the place Djokovic, Rafa and Federer are… the greats, the geniuses, they saved enhancing till they have been 37 or 38.
“Staying on the very high for 16 or 17 years, combating for giant titles season after season, coping with the stress, with accidents, with all the things, that’s extraordinary and only a few can do it… So I believe it’s psychological power and my head that may permit me to belong to that dialog sooner or later.”
Psychological power for sure, is considered one of Alcaraz’s best victories at this Roland Garros. Whereas in 2023 he bowed out within the semis after shedding to Djokovic, affected by cramps mid-match as a result of stress, this 12 months he has discovered to deal with that stress, as evidenced by his wins over Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev within the semi-finals and ultimate, seeing off each opponents in 5 units.
“Final 12 months I clearly failed that examination, however this time we’d executed our homework,” declared the Spaniard. “This 12 months I managed to do a lot better. I believe I handed the examination, however not with flying colors. It’s one thing I’ve to maintain enhancing and because the years go by, I’ll really feel even higher.”
After getting back from his mini-break, which begins this afternoon, Alcaraz will begin to practise on grass for Queen’s Membership and Wimbledon (he’s the defending champion at each) after which he shall be again on the clay along with his sights set on the Olympic Video games in Paris, the place in addition to enjoying within the singles, he’ll type a duo with Nadal within the doubles. The query, then, is clear: would he desire to efficiently defend his Wimbledon title or declare an Olympic gold in Paris?
“The Olympic Video games are each 4 years and it’s a particular event the place you’re not solely enjoying for your self, however for a rustic, representing each Spaniard,” got here Alcaraz’s reply. “I believe this 12 months I’d select Olympic gold.”
The newly topped Roland Garros champion is already fascinated by his return to the scene of Sunday’s triumph.
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