Spanish rising star Carlos Alcaraz says he is focused on his own goals and not what might be expected of him from others.
The 19-year-old is currently ranked sixth in the world and is the youngest player in the ATP top 20. Alcaraz shot up the rankings during the first half of this season after producing a series of breakthrough results. He has won two Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid, as well as two ATP 500 tournaments. To put that into perspective, the only other player so far this season to have won a quartet of trophies on the men’s tour is Rafael Nadal. In Madrid Alcaraz also became the youngest person to defeat both Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the same tournament.
“I have had surprising results this year, I did not expect to evolve as fast as I did, but I work for it,” Alcaraz told reporters in Hamburg on Monday. “As I always say, hard work pays off, although in my case it was all a bit quick and surprising.”
As a result of the rise, Alcaraz is being tipped by some pundits as the next superstar of the men’s Tour once the reign of the Big Three comes to an end. In April he recorded his 50th Tour win against 20 losses which was a faster clip than the 27 players to reach World No. 1 on the ATP Tour, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. So far in his career he has reached the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam twice at the 2021 US Open and the French Open earlier this year.
Coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz has vowed to stay grounded when it comes to managing his own expectations and those around him.
“I know what my goals are, I don’t think too much about the pressure that comes from outside,” he said.
“I try to keep learning, keep adding experiences and always try to give my best version in each game. I feel that I play for myself, for my team and my family, I don’t focus on the expectations that people may have. I just push it away.”
As for the months ahead, the world No.6 is targeting a place in the prestigious ATP Finals. An event which will feature the eight best performing players over the past 12 months. As of this week he is currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Race to Turin behind Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nadal.
“It would be a good goal, but right now my thoughts are not on the ranking, but on reaching the ATP Finals in Turin at the end of the season.” He replied when asked if he was targeting a place in the world’s top three.
“I have learned how I should play against the best players in the world, in the big stadiums and in the important moments. I have learned how to deal with pressure, how to deal with nerves in big games, now I feel much more mature in that aspect. I guess that’s why I’m where I am now.” Alcaraz later added.
Alcaraz is the top seed at this week’s Hamburg Open which is played on the clay. He has won 19 out of 21 matches played on the surface so far this season. In the first round on Tuesday he will start his campaign against wildcard Nicola Kuhn.
