Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that it was tough watching Novak Djokovic claim his world number one ranking at the 2023 Australian Open.
“The truth is that losing the Australian Open, where I could have scored valuable points, was difficult. Difficult to see him on TV and difficult to see Djokovic take away my number one. But I knew it would be difficult to keep him throughout his career.” Alcaraz said.
“Certainly now the goal is to win him back. But to do that, first of all I have to get back on the pitch to compete and that’s why I’m here,” Alcaraz added.
Alcaraz topped the ATP rankings after winning the U.S. Open in September of last year. That made him the youngest man to do so since the automated men’s tennis rankings’ start more than 50 years ago.
The Spaniard has been hampered by injuries since the end of last year, when he was forced to withdraw from the Nitto ATP Finals.
“I want to continue winning other Grand Slam titles, and to do that I have to be able to do like Djokovic and Rafa, who continue to win these tournaments and to express their highest level year after year. And that’s what I want to do too: stay at my top level for a long time,” Alcaraz said.
When asked how he controls difficulties, Alcaraz remembered his grandfather.
“On the court, I think a lot about the phrase my grandfather told me: ‘head, heart and ‘cojones’. But what crosses my mind the most is attacking and not being afraid.” Alcaraz said.
“A game is long and a lot goes through your head, like ‘don’t miss this one’, ‘why did you make a mistake?’, ‘you are so bad’.
“There are many negative thoughts that I try to erase and focus on the positive side. When I lose confidence it is difficult to regain it, but in the end there is no mystery.” he added.
