Carlos Alcaraz will return to the Barcelona Open after the Spaniard's involvement in next year's tournament was officially announced.
The clay court season is always a special time of the year for Alcaraz. It allows him to play on home soil at the Barcelona and Madrid Opens in front of crowds who support him passionately in each of his matches.
Spanish fans are undoubtedly pleased to have someone of Alcaraz's ability to support after Rafael Nadal's retirement from tennis. The 14-time French Open champion dominated on clay for most of his legendary career.
Since he was very young, Alcaraz has been widely tipped to enjoy significant success on clay. The 21-year-old grew up on the surface, meaning he feels naturally comfortable moving and hitting high-bouncing balls.
However, Alcaraz's first two Grand Slams were not won on the dirt. His maiden major title came at the 2022 US Open, a run that included an extraordinary five-set battle against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinal.
That was a stunning success, but Alcaraz's achievement at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships came as an even bigger surprise because he had never played on the surface until the start of his ATP career.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic lost one of the greatest Wimbledon finals ever against Alcaraz in 2023. The Serbian admitted that he did not expect the young star to be a threat so quickly on grass.
Alcaraz's ability to play on all surfaces partly explains why he and Sinner have been compared to Djokovic, Nadal, and Roger Federer, who are widely considered to be the best three players in tennis history.
His successes on hard and grass courts meant glory at the French Open felt inevitable. Alcaraz secured the title at Roland Garros this year, winning another five-set final against Alexander Zverev, who recently revealed he is open to hiring Boris Becker as coach.
The world No. 3 received the perfect preparation for the French Open at the 2023 edition of the Barcelona Open. He won the ATP 500 event without dropping a set, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
Unfortunately, Alcaraz withdrew from last year's iteration with an arm injury. The four-time Grand Slam champion plans to play in Barcelona for the first time since 2023 next year and expressed his excitement.
"I am very happy to play in Barcelona again and fight to get my third title. It is a very special tournament for me, with a lot of history and it is played on courts that I have known very well since I was a child. In addition, having all the affection of the people in the stands makes it even more exciting."
David Ferrer, Spain's Davis Cup captain during Rafael Nadal's final professional appearance last month, is also the sports director at the Barcelona Open and was delighted to secure Alcaraz's commitment to next year's tournament.
"Carlos Alcaraz is a unique player, with a lot of charisma and who, in addition, has fun on the court. He has exceptional skills which allow him to dominate the point against any rival and that makes him different from any other player. And we are talking about the youngest tennis player in history to be number one in the world."