Carlos Alcaraz believes that keeping a positive mindset and playing tennis for joy remains one of his greatest motivations.
Even at the age of 20, Alcaraz has already achieved more in tennis than others, and the young Spanish star continued to make exceptional progress in 2023. Last season, Alcaraz won his second career Grand Slam at Wimbledon and was victorious at Indian Wells, the Barcelona Open, the Madrid Open, and Queen's.
But, it wasn't all plain sailing for Alcaraz as the up-and-coming talent struggled in the second half of the season, especially following early eliminations at the Paris Masters and Shanghai Masters.
The slight downturn in form has not knocked Alcaraz's confidence, though, and in an interview with Le Figaro, the 20-year-old explained that tennis is mostly a source of enjoyment for him.
"It’s natural, ever since I started at the age of four or five, I always try to enjoy the moment and live my childhood dream. I still see tennis as a game and I always enjoy being on the court. Having a smile on my face is the key to everything I do. I smile a lot when I play and that reflects on my game."
"What makes me happy? Doing different things that are out of the ordinary and seeing the crowd enjoy it. Their enthusiasm makes me really happy, and that gives me even more energy."
There are big expectations for Alcaraz as he heads into the 2024 season with more Grand Slams and a potential Olympic win on his radar. But, although we have already seen plenty of quality for Alcaraz, he believes there is more to come in the future.
"I’m probably at 70 or 75 per cent. I have a lot of room for improvement. My tennis is good, but mentally and physically I also need to improve, so it’s a mixture of all that."
"I’m only 20 and I still have a lot of room for improvement. Because tennis is constantly changing, and you have to adapt and evolve with it."
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