Carlos Alcaraz moved away from his old image

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Carlos Alcaraz has been using these days to practice intensively just a few days before the 2024 US Open. Former world number 1 is one of the most anticipated players at Flushing Meadows, a place he has fond memories of winning his first Major here in 2022.

Last year, Carlitos was defeated by the Russian Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals due to a performance rich of ups and downs. The young Spanish champion won the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells in 2024, but most importantly he achieved the feat of winning the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships in the same year.

Alcaraz© Instagram US Open/Fair Use

The 21-year-old from Murcia was also a strong contender for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but had to give up on an extraordinary Novak Djokovic in the final. Alcaraz cried a lot after winning the silver medal and didn’t shine in Cincinnati last week, coming off the second round against French veteran Gael Monfils. The four-time Grand Slam champion must be in top form if he wants to win his fifth career Major, as his draw is not very easy. Carlitos has said several times that he wants to be one of the best ever and is learning how to play tennis continuously throughout the season.

Latest news on Carlitos

Carlos Alcaraz played badly in the only tournament before the US Open, the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The Spaniard seemed very nervous during the match against Gael Monfils and broke a racket for the first time in his young career.

Speaking with Eurosport, former ATP star and top analyst Mats Wilander commented on Carlitos’ recent incident: “Cincinnati is a very tough place to play tennis. It’s very windy, the courts are very fast. He was obviously very tired and didn’t win the Olympics. I hate to see someone break a racket, I think that’s the last thing you want to do as a tennis player, because racquets aren’t free for 99.999% of the population.

Carlos Alcaraz, Cincinnati 2024© Stream screenshot

Don’t break them. But at the same time, he’s kind of detached himself from his image of being 100% perfect at all times, off the court, on the court, on social media. He’s kind of moved away from that. I think it’s a good thing for him, in a way, and I think it takes some of the pressure off him.” The former world number 1 will make his debut in New York on Tuesday 27th August and hopes to win his third straight Grand Slam title.

During a recent interview with ‘We Love Tennis’, Ion Tiriac takes a shot at Carlitos Alcaraz: "He's a talented player, he's sensational, he has incredible leg speed and power, but I think we're making a bit too much of him, that we already want to reap the economic benefits when we're only at the beginning of his career. We have to be much more patient, leave him alone because the dollar we earn today is nothing compared to what we can "earn" in a few years.”

The Spanish ace has a well-established team around him and the deep bond with Juan Carlos Ferrero is one of the secrets to his success. Carlitos wants to try to finish the season at the top of the ATP ranking, but it will not be easy for him to beat Jannik Sinner. The Italian has fewer points to defend than the Spanish at the US Open, while he will have to defend many in the autumn. The 4-time Grand Slam champion does not express his best tennis indoor and last year he had struggled a lot in that part of the season.

Alcaraz wants to shine in NY

The feeling of fans and experts is that the result of the final Olympic has not yet been digested by Alcaraz, who was convinced to win the gold medal. In the latest episode of The Sit-Down podcast, ATP legend Michael Chang commented on the Olympic final: “I’m not sure Novak will stop soon. In fact, I don’t think he will ever stop. What he did was absolutely incredible.

Absolutely amazing, even in the last few months. That he plays at Roland Garros, that he gets surgery immediately after his last match there, then that he goes to play and reaches the final of Wimbledon, it’s one thing. But then, coming back and beating Alcaraz, on clay, at the Olympics, at Roland Garros, I have no words to describe that. It’s just incredible, and he does it at 37. It’s just phenomenal.”