Carlos Alcaraz says one of his key objectives for the new season is to win a medal at the Paris Olympic Games even though he is currently ineligible to play.
As it stands, the world No.2 doesn’t meet the criteria to play at the event which will be held at Roland Garros next year. Under rules set out by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), players must be part of their country’s Davis Cup team at least twice during an Olympic cycle. Alcaraz was on the team in 2022 but didn’t play this year. He would have had the opportunity to secure qualification in February if Spain was playing in one of the World Group ties but the country has been given a wildcard directly into the finals which take place after the Olympics.
It is expected that Alcaraz will send a letter of appeal to the ITF via his national tennis federation arguing that the wildcard handed to Spain has taken away his chance of meeting the qualifying criteria. It is expected that the two-time Grand Slam champion will experience no issues in his appeal with his mind already set on the event.
“It is going to be a demanding year, it is a little more special having the Olympics,” El Universal quoted Alcaraz as saying during a press conference in Mexico earlier this week.
“I really want to play. Trying to bring a medal to my country is what I would like the most and we are going to work to achieve it.”
In Olympic history, Rafael Nadal is the only Spanish player to have won a gold medal in men’s singles after he won the 2008 tournament. Coincidentally, he will also need to submit an appeal to play in 2024 after missing Davis Cup ties due to injury.
One of Alcaraz’s biggest threats in the new year will be Novak Djokovic who beat him in straight sets at the ATP Finals earlier this month. Djokovic has won three out of the four major events this year with the only exception being Wimbledon where he was beaten by Alcaraz in the final.
“We are here to prevent him and with many other players who are capable of beating him, 2024 is going to be very intense,” the Spaniard commented.
“(I dream) of being one of the best in history, in the end, it is a big dream because in this life you have to dream big,” he added.
On Wednesday Alcaraz took part in an exhibition event held at the Plaza de Toros México which was attended by more than 20,000 people. Taking on America’s Tommy Paul, he won their match 7-6(3), 6-3. A women’s match also took place with Maria Sakkari beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4.
According to the website Punto de Break, Alcaraz will now go on a vacation to the Dominican Republic for a week before undergoing a training block at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in his home country. Before the start of the new season, he will play another exhibition match on December 27th against Djokovic in Ridayh, Saudi Arabia.
