Alcaraz and Badosa: luxury future

Spanish tennis was able to confirm this year that it has another luxurious couple called to emulate the successes they achieved and that Rafa Nadal and Garbiñe Muguruza still intend to reap. Paula Badosa and Carlos Alcaraz they form a second unit of the Navy that soon aspires to be even the first, with all respect for the Balearic and Caracas.

AS brought them together during the Sports Awards gala in which this newspaper distinguished the 24-year-old Catalan for his brilliant season and the 18-year-old from Murcia for the promise he is. They are united by an evident complicity in the way they relate to each other and in the fact that Badosa received that future award in 2015, after winning the junior tournament at Roland Garros in 2015. Radiant, elegant and handsome, they appreciated the reception of their respective statuettes. “It is a reward for all the work that I did during the year and that I have been doing this time with my team, hard work. It means a lot to me”Alcaraz said. “I was there six years ago, as a promise and I said, ‘I hope one day this will come true.’ Coming back here shows that dreams are fulfilled,” said Paula.

Both began the campaign with problems due to COVID in Australia, with harsh confinements, especially in the case of Badosa, who was infected and was locked up for 21 days. But then, as the months went by, they took off. They won their first titles: she in Belgrade and Indian Wells and he in Umag and the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan. They rose like foam in the rankings and will face the Australian Open as seeds. The New York-born tennis player started the campaign in 70th place and finished eighth in the WTA ranking and Charly went from 141st to 32nd in the ATP rankings.

In recognition of their excellent performance, they throw flowers to each other. “It is incredible the change that Paula has made, the level at which she is playing to finish in the top-10. For next year he is also aiming very, very high, and will fight for the Grand Slams. I am very happy for her, for the great work she has done together with her team, the level she is giving and the results she is doing, “says Alcaraz. “Carlos’s award is more of a reality than a promise. He has proven to be a great man and has done great things. He has just started his career, but I think he will give us great joys because he was born to be a champion.”, argues Badosa, who offers him some advice: “I have already given it to him, he should try to enjoy the journey, which is what you value most when you get to the top. And that he surrounds himself with good people, because he will always have very high expectations. You must continue working and the rest will come to you. David Ferrer, when he was number three in the world, said the same thing to me and I stayed with his words forever “.

They both value very positively a 2021 in which they have been wondering. “In a difficult year for everyone, I was able to play almost normally and grow a lot, against the best, against my idol, Rafa (Nadal, at the Mutua Madrid Open), and in large stadiums, everything has been very good. And that the rivals, like Tsitsipas when I beat him in the US Open center with so many people cheering me on, say good things about me, I’m happy. That was one of the best moments I have lived, “Alcaraz acknowledged on AS TV, which also collected the balance of Badosa: “Carlos and I managed to get here after having a bad time in January. I had been pursuing to be among the best in the world for a long time and my dream is coming true. I am very proud, because I had bad years, through a very difficult process. But in the end, fighting, believing and working very hard is achieved. “

Carlos and Paula are ambitious, because due to their ranking they will have the possibility of facing the tournaments with more possibilities. “My goals are high, because I am at the top and I want to continue there, if possible better, and win many tournaments. I would very much like to succeed at Roland Garros,” she says. “I hope to continue my path, as far as I go. I hope I will go as far as Rafa, although it is complicated, practically impossible,” he wishes, who wants “more.” “I hope this is the start of something great.”

Alcaraz’s closest horizon is in the Australian Open, which he will face after extending his preseason at the Equelite Academy in Villena, under the command of his owner and coach of the boy from El Palmar, Juan Carlos Ferrero.On January 8, he will travel to Melbourne on scheduled flights to compete directly in the first Grand Slam of the year. It will be his second participation, after reaching the second round there last February (he was defeated by the Swede Mikael Ymer after he defeated the Dutch Van de Zandschulp). He will be seeded, like Badosa, who trained for a few days in Marbella and finished his preparation in Valencia before leaving this Sunday, also on a charter of the organization of the ocean tour, to Adelaide. There she will play in the WTA 500 that will be played from January 3 to 9 and in which the current champion of the Finals will also compete and a mirror for Paula, Garbiñe Muguruza. Later, she will try to get rid of the thorn of her elimination at the first exchange against the Russian Gracheva in the Australian major, who could not prepare well due to the long confinement that prevented her from leaving the hotel room and training. Now he hopes to win a great title. “For making a wish, now that we are at Christmas, let it not remain.”

What they have already achieved is recognition and respect from the tennis world, and a predilection in the hearts of the fans, who see them as an exciting reference. There is a connection between them and with the people who follow and support them by the thousands. Just like AS, who had the fortune and pleasure to unite a duo that represents a luxurious future.