Carlos Alcaraz said a few times that he never really changed after becoming a household name, but the way he is treated certainly did.
Life is rather simple when nobody really knows you. You can do anything and go anywhere, and no one bats an eye. When you're famous, that's not the case. Alcaraz knows that fully well, as he was himself bashed heavily after being spotted at a bullfighting event in Spain.
Besides the media following his every move, people also recognize him off the court. It's not easy to get used to that after spending most of his life never really thinking about it. Alcaraz is one of the most recognizable faces in tennis nowadays, which makes going unnoticed somewhat tricky.
"I try not to think too much about success, I want to stay away from the noise. But it can be difficult to deal with. I try to enjoy my time on court. Sometimes the bad moments can come to you, but I try to focus on myself and my team. I try to smile all the time."
Being famous is a trade-off, much like anything in life. It's good that Alcaraz enjoys it because he's going to have the spotlight on him for a very long time, and he embraced it ahead of the 2024 Indian Wells Open.
For the sport, it's important for its future face to be comfortable with the spotlight because it drives the sport forward.
Making jokes lets me stay myself. Fame and attention are good most of the time, but sometimes you wake up in a bad mood and you just want to hide and not be recognized. But I like when people know me, recognize me - that's a good point.
Hopefully, he handles the pressure part as well because he's had some problems with that in the past.