Carlos Alcaraz recently went to Monza, Italy, to watch a Formula One race, and he left quite inspired and motivated to lead Spain at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Less than 48 hours after losing at the US Open to Botic van de Zandschulp, Alcaraz found himself in Monza, Italy, to watch the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. It was a cool experience for the 21-year-old, during which he also got to meet Matteo Berrettini, and more than just a distraction after his disappointing result in New York.
It helped Alcaraz find focus, something he hopes to demonstrate in the coming days in Valencia. Alcaraz is part of the Spanish Davis Cup team, hoping to help his country secure a spot for the knock-out stages in Malaga later that year.
Ahead of the group stage matches at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, the Spaniard talked about recent events, including his trip to Monza, where he finally got to see a Formula One race in person.
Alcaraz always wanted to see one, but the tennis schedule made finding time to do it very difficult. After he lost early in New York, he used that chance to soak in the experience.
"It was an amazing experience, honestly. I wanted to go to Formula One a long time ago but the tennis schedule doesn’t allow us to go to a lot of events."
"Obviously after the US Open it was a little bit disappointing for me. I tried to reset my mind as fast as I could… Once I could go to Formula One, I didn’t think too much about it. I went straight to it to watch it."
The race was very exciting, with the home favorite Ferrari, namely Charles Leclerc, winning, which only made the experience better. The atmosphere was amazing, and Alcaraz got a chance to see up close the focus that goes into every race. It's something that's inspired him to do better in tennis.
"Obviously the way that the drivers approach races is insane. The way that they are focused on every step of the warm up, everything, it’s crazy. I tried to think about doing the same when I approach the match, my tournaments and for me it was great to watch in real life."
He will have a chance to showcase his focus at the upcoming Davis Cup Finals, where Spain hopes to secure their spot in Malaga. With him in the squad, they're heavily favored to do so, but they will need a focused Alcaraz who has forgotten previous disappointments.
"Well I had a few days after every tournament but probably the bad thing [in tennis] - and the good thing as well - is we have no time to relax and think about it. At some points I really want to have more time to relax, to celebrate it, to think about what we have done so far."
"But at other points I prefer not to think about it too much, I just try to keep going and focus on the next steps. Let’s say I’ve had no time to stay calm and think about my summer."