Carlos Alcaraz once famously declared that he's targetting Novak Djokovic's 24 Grand Slam record and he's not backing down from that claim.
Being humble is generally seen as a very commendable quality, but being confident is also very important, especially for athletes. Being ambitious is seen as a positive thing for athletes, and Alcaraz ticks all of those boxes.
He's still pretty down-to-earth and quite humble in day-to-day interactions, but he's also incredibly confident and ambitious about his tennis career and achievements on the court.
Nothing screamed ambition as much as when he declared his goal of becoming the best tennis player in history. To do that, Alcaraz will have to at least match or best Djokovic's all-time Grand Slam record, which currently stands at 24.
The BBC recently asked Alcaraz whether he still wants to equal that, and Alcaraz confirmed that, of course, he wants to. He's aware that it may be almost impossible to do so, but he's going to give his all to try and do that. He believes himself capable, which is the first step.
"Yes, of course. I am an ambitious guy. I know it is almost impossible to break Novak's records but I’m playing tennis for myself, for joy and I want to do great things. I want to be part of tennis history."
Alcaraz is already part of tennis history, becoming the youngest world number one ever on the ATP Tour in 2022. He also recorded many other great achievements and certainly will add to them in the future.
His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, talked with the BBC as well, admitting that he likes the fact that his protege is thinking big instead of small. To become one of the best in history, you have to do that.
"What I like most is him thinking big and not just thinking small. To be one of the greatest you have to think big. It’s going to be very hard to break records but we’re here to try to do as well as we can."
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