Carlos Alcaraz: I did not expect to win Wimbledon. Everything came so, so fast
Carlos Alcaraz sometimes feels like he was made in a factory using parts of the “Big Three” (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic). His tenacity and Spanish-bull energy is pure Rafa. His forehand and finesse is from Roger. His movement and speed is from Novak. The last time Carlos played Rafa, he broke Rafa’s ribs. Carlos met Novak in back-to-back Slams this year – a French Open semifinal where Carlos cramped and then choked, then the Wimbledon final where Carlos seemingly willed himself to a win against a visibly peeved Djokovic. Carlos is now a two-time Slam winner and first-ballot Hall of Famer, all at the age of 20. Carlos is profiled in the current issue of WSJ. Magazine’s Men’s Fall Style Issue. It’s funny because this kid basically only wears gear from his sponsor, Nike, although he does have a brand-new Louis Vuitton sponsorship too. You can read the full WSJ. piece here. Some highlights:
Winning the US Open last year: “It was faster than I thought. I did not expect to win a Slam at age 20. I did not expect to win Wimbledon. Everything came so, so fast.”
He started a bucket hat craze: “I love it,” he says of bucket-hat mania, which began at Wimbledon when he grabbed one from a Nike display. “It’s something new for me.”
Alcaraz on this time in his life: “This has been a dream for me since I was a little kid,” he explains. If, like me, you own jeans older than Carlos Alcaraz, this observation sounds funny, but for him, it’s been a longer road. “Obviously, it’s my job,” he says. “But I am enjoying this time.”
On Djokovic’s compliment that Carlos is the best of the Big Three: “Crazy. He’s played with the best, with Rafa, with Roger. You don’t expect that.”
His favorite pre-match song: At one point, I ask him what his favorite song is to listen to before matches. “Eye of the Tiger,” he says, referring to Survivor’s Camaro-tastic Rocky anthem from 1982.
[From WSJ. Magazine]
While Carlos is very polite in interviews and he always comes across like a humble guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if his team or the ATP invested in some media training for Carlos. Just so he’s more comfortable talking in press, doing on-court interviews and giving these kinds of magazine interviews. The writer had to fill out this profile by quoting random tennis commentators when that space should have been used for Carlos talking more about his life, his training, his diet, his dreams, his celebrity crushes, his cheat meal, his aspirations, etc. He’ll learn, I know that. I’ve been shocked by how quickly he’s been able to adapt and problem-solve against anyone and everyone.
Photos courtesy of THEO WENNER for WSJ. Magazine.
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