MADRID, 13 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz emphasized that he feels “very, very good” physically to face the imminent Australian Open, the first 'Grand Slam' of the season, having “been improving” gradually and “day after day” some “small details” along with Samuel López as his coach instead of Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“The truth is that I have been feeling very well,” Alcaraz said in a press conference from Melbourne. “I had done good training at the academy, at home, but it is not the same to train with players with whom you will later compete,” he admitted in this regard.
“The first days here were a bit of adaptation. Little by little I have been improving, day after day, small details that we have been seeing in preparation for starting the tournament,” he added. “Physically I feel very, very good. And tennis-wise I think I am at a good level,” said the Murcian.
During the Christmas preseason, the El Palmar tennis player has worked on several aspects with the aim of continuing to grow on and off the courts. “Within the track… we're not going to say it either, right? These are clues that we can give,” he commented. “But there have been things that we have specifically focused on to see if we try to do a little better this year,” Alcaraz confessed.
“And then, off the court… I am 20 years old. I am very absent-minded. The issue of punctuality, for example, and those things that can influence on the court. I have to improve it. Many times I have said that the first It is being a person. You have to improve as a person. These are things to continue growing: punctuality, order… all these types of things,” he reiterated.
Although he did not play in 2023 due to a muscle injury, the current No. 2 in the ATP rankings has fond memories of his last participation in the Australian Open, despite losing in the third round against the Italian Matteo Berrettini in 2022. “It was a very tight match,” he noted. “I think it's the first or only match I've lost in five sets,” he added.
“I came out with many things to improve, as was obvious. Many things that I did wrong, that I had to correct. I think that during these years I have achieved it,” he added. “I left there with the feeling that I could do great things. Here we are two years later and wanting to do well in this tournament, wanting to have a good result,” said Alcaraz.
In 2024, Alcaraz will not have the help of Juan Carlos Ferrero, his usual coach, as he continues to recover from recent surgery on his left knee. So Samuel López will be in charge of being with the Murcian in Melbourne. “Samu has been a coach for many years, Juan Carlos perhaps not so much,” explained Alcaraz.
“Samu can give you other types of things, obviously Samu was also coach of Juan Carlos and many great players. I think he can give you other types of things that Juan Carlos may not be able to tell you or teach you; but Well, in the end Juan Carlos has also been a player, he has been number one in the world,” Alcaraz said.
“So, for that part, maybe Juan Carlos can also tell me some things that maybe Samu can't. In the end, we are all a team. I try to learn from them the best I can, so we are going to take advantage of it,” said the El Palmar before making predictions for 2024.
“I remember starting last year saying that I hope I match the year I had in 2022 and won more points,” he recalled. “So this year we are going to try to match 2023. The clear objective is to try to win another 'Grand Slam', we are going to try, we are going to give everything we have inside to achieve it. Obviously, repeating the year I did in 2023 would be more than fabulous,” concluded a hopeful Alcaraz.