At 20 years old, 21 in the blink of an eye—on May 5—Carlos Alcaraz continues to discover himself and, at the same time, make himself known. “I want to show my personality. Everyone knows the tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, but he is a different version of how I am off the court. It’s a nice story to show, that of a little boy pursuing his dream and becoming number one in the world. “I want to show everyone who I am,” he answers, referring to the Netflix docuseries that began filming in March in Las Vegas and continues now in Madrid, where a cast of creators, cameras and sound engineers accompanies him everywhere with steadysspotlights, cables and poles.
The man from Murcia talks with journalists relieved because the test against Alexander Shevchenko (6-2 and 6-1, in 1h 07m) went well. Since he suffered the mishap in his right arm, after competing in the Miami Masters, at the end of March, he has been carrying a fear that has crossed the border of the physical because the pain does not disappear and although the medical tests are positive, The fear of a greater evil or a relapse is there, latent, threatening. “It’s been a pretty hard month for me,” he introduces. “I came without knowing what was going to happen and yesterday (Thursday), when I played a set with Medvedev (in training), I didn’t notice anything and I said I was ready to play. Until yesterday I was thinking about whether he was going to play or not. Until I arrived here, I had not picked up the racket for a week,” continues the tennis player, champion of the last two editions and who before moving to Madrid he had had to give up Monte Carlo and Godó; the latter, a place in which he also had to defend the titles obtained in the last two years.
Not playing in Barcelona was a considerable emotional blow for him. Despite not being able to compete, Alcaraz went there to confirm his absence and fulfill a business commitment. A witness to the scene says that, sheltered under a cap, he circled the pool at the Pedralbes club for almost an hour trying to process a situation that, without being entirely new, has been eroding his confidence. “It has been a month of uncertainty, especially not knowing when he was going to return,” he emphasizes. Without much convincing, last weekend he landed on the training slopes of the Caja Mágica and since then, he, his technician Juan Carlos Ferrero and the specialists who ensure that the machine works at full capacity – the physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno and coach Alberto Lledó—have been weighing which route to take.
Removing those fears and betting on jumping onto the track was an unavoidable threshold that he has finally crossed. The hours of treatment and talks have had an effect, and the Murcian is back in action; He does not let his guard down, but for now he has broken the psychological barrier that was holding him back and the sensations obtained at the premiere were very favorable. “It was a very complete match, at a high level; I have surprised myself. The main thing was to check if I was going to notice something, and it hasn’t happened,” he appreciates. “I had been training with just the backhand for a month, and that’s why I had a spectacular match,” he says. “And with the right (where the damage is located) I hit it softer than usual. The first thing he thought about was not to hurt me, so I am very happy to have played at this level,” he adds.
Against its essence
Despite competing with the mental corset that still limits his drive, the first intervention has somehow freed Alcaraz, who in the next season will face the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, the 63rd in the world. “They are beating good people, so let’s give them a boost,” warns the Murcian, still a caged lion. “I already played with the bracera (compressor mesh) at Wimbledon (2022) and then I took it off, so there is no superstition . But yes, I have always been a player who tries to hit hard, so playing more relaxed goes against my essence. Right now I prefer to do it this way; “Before, I wanted to push harder than necessary and that hurt me, so now it doesn’t happen to me,” continues the world number three, whose setbacks suffered during these three years in the elite have helped him better understand how his body reacts.
Satisfied, Alcaraz left the San Fermín neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon and after stopping by his hotel, he went to the Mesón Txistu with his team and his family circle for dinner while he continued the duel between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid in San Sebastian. “If my physio tells me to put it on (the brace), I put it on. “I fully trust him, so I obey,” he says, without wanting to look beyond the “day to day,” although with the hope of being able to incorporate the necessary filming for Roland Garros. “Every time I enter the court I want to win, but the main thing is not to notice my forearm. If I notice the slightest thing, I doubt I’ll be able to continue. The main thing is not to notice anything, and if I feel good then the game and the results come. I want to continue adding hours of competition without discomfort,” he resolves.
Meanwhile, Madrid’s height continues to add shine to his game. He has already had 12 wins in the Caja Mágica, where he has not fallen since Nadal beat him, on May 5, 2021, when he came of age. The Mallorcan is scheduled this Saturday (not before 4:00 p.m., Teledeporte and Movistar +) with the Australian Alex de Miñaur, in a meeting that could mean his farewell. And the heir claims: “I want to enjoy him as much as possible, I know that is what he wants and what excites him. He is working to be competitive, and every time he can do it I will be there to enjoy it. “We don’t have to think about the afterlife, we’re going to live in the moment.”
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