Carlos Alcaraz‘s performance in 2022 left everyone speechless. The 19-year-old Spaniard had already shown his great talent the previous year, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open. 2022 was the year of the definitive explosion of him at the highest level and beyond.
Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé won his first Slam, making a memorable run at the US Open. As if that were not enough, ‘Carlitos’ also won two Masters 1000 (Miami and Madrid) and as many ATP 500 (Rio and Barcelona).
The triumph in New York allowed the Murcian to become the youngest number 1 in the history of men’s tennis. The last few months have not been easy for the young Iberian, who has had to deal with some physical discomfort. An abdominal tear had caused him to miss the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals last year, while a leg injury cost him the 2023 Australian Open.
In the latest edition of the podcast hosted by Craig Shapiro, Ivan Lendl had beautiful words for Alcaraz. “Carlos Alcaraz is already very strong and he will get even better in the coming years,” Lendl said. “I know that he trains very hard and that he has a great team behind him.
Juan Carlos Ferrero was a very good player and he is also doing well as a coach. He is teaching him everything he needs to continue at the top”, added Iván. Invited to the last edition of the “Monday Match Analysis Show”, the well-known journalist Steve Flink affirmed that Alcaraz will have much more pressure this year: “Carlos Alcaraz was the breakout kid of 2022 and could play on the wings of enthusiasm.
His performance left everyone speechless and he even managed to finish the year at the top of the ATP rankings. He himself admitted that he did not expect to achieve such results so soon. He maybe expected to finish 2022 in the top 10 or top 5, but instead he emerged victorious.
It will not be easy to confirm it, it will be a very tough season psychologically.”
Alcaraz is set to return to action at the Argentina Open
Carlos Alcaraz has hailed his compatriot Rafael Nadal as the person he idolised while growing up.
“He was my childhood idol, and he is the idol of all Spanish fans of tennis and sports in general because of his career, his charisma, his work, his mentality,” he said. “I achieved my dream very quickly, and it took me a bit by surprise,” said Alcaraz.
“I need and want to continue improving, that is the key. I like to play tennis beyond the results and I want to continue enjoying it. Despite having been number one, I have many things to improve”.
