Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1

PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz intends to keep his tradition of inking the date he won his first French Open championship and a depiction of the Eiffel Tower.

That artwork will be placed near Alcaraz’s left ankle to help him recall his 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros final on Sunday. His right ankle already boasts the date of his 2023 Wimbledon victory and an image of a strawberry, while his left arm bears the date of his first major title, which he won at the 2022 U.S. Open.

Alcaraz | AP News Image

Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1

The 21-year-old from Spain may run out of skin if he continues at this rate. On the other hand, Alcaraz stated on Sunday that he had told his mother that he would not continue to print the dates of each Slam triumph on his body for the rest of his career. Instead, he’ll limit it to the dates of the first title from each of the four most prominent tennis competitions, leaving only the Australian Open, which he’ll almost certainly include.

As it stands, Alcaraz is the youngest man to win a Grand Slam on clay, grass, or hard courts and the youngest to achieve No. 1 in the ATP rankings at 19.

“My game suits … every surface,” he said, “because I practice it.”

He learned the sport on clay, but he feels most at ease on hard courts — he sought to excel there because that’s what most tournaments use — and his always-on-attack style is a perfect fit for grass, as evidenced by his victory over seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in last year’s All England Club final. Alcaraz’s championship defense there begins on July 1.

Of course, he said he’s working on his defense. And, as Zverev and others have noted, his drop shots and volleys are valuable tools.

But Alcaraz’s basic principle is: “My main goal is to be as aggressive as possible.”

In the semifinals in Paris, he wore down Jannik Sinner, who succeeded the injured Djokovic at No. 1 in the rankings on Monday, ahead of No. 2 Alcaraz, and rallied from a two-set deficit to win eight of the last eleven games in a four-hour, nine-minute encounter.

In the final, Alcaraz wore down fourth-ranked Zverev, reversing a 2-1 set deficit, this time by winning 12 of the last 15 games in a 4-hour, 19-minute battle.

“We are both physically powerful, but he is a beast. He’s an animal. “He plays tennis at a different intensity than others,” Zverev added. “He can do so many different things.”

Alcaraz | AP News Image

Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1

Alcaraz dealt with cramping against Sinner and Zverev, and he believes the main importance is in the mentality.

“If you’re not strong in your head and you don’t show mental strength,” Alcaraz stated, “you won’t win Grand Slams.”

He has long been anticipated to be great, and he has so far lived up to the hype. His standards simply serve to amp up the praise and expectations of what is possible.

On Sunday night, as he answered questions in both English and Spanish, Alcaraz was asked how many trophies he could continue to win.

One writer cited Djokovic’s men’s Grand Slam record of 24 championships (21 more than Alcaraz’s total). Another mentioned that amount and his countryman’s 14 French Open titles, and, to use Alcaraz’s term, “idol,” Rafael Nadal (who is only 13 points ahead of Alcaraz).

Alcaraz smiled, calling those two feats “otherworldly.”

When asked if he aspirations of equaling Djokovic, Alcaraz smiled widely.

Alcaraz | AP News Image

Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1

“I don’t know,” he answered. “I hope so.”

Then Alcaraz recounted a chat with his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, about how “difficult” it is to win one Grand Slam — and how “unbelievable” Djokovic had won 24.

I can’t think about that right now. I want to keep going and see how many Grand Slams I’ll have after my career. “Hopefully, reach the 24,” Alcaraz stated before raising his left hand toward the silver Coupe des Mousquetaires he had just acquired and adding, “but right now, I’m going to enjoy my third one, and let’s see in the future.”

SOURCE – (AP)