It was an atypical morning in May at the El Palmar Country Club, but not only because of the cloudy sky and the humidity that dominated the environment. “The one that is mounted here, it seems that Carlos is coming for something,” two partners commented at the exit of the gym when they saw the movement of cameras, spotlights and posters with the most recognized face of the district. In the facilities known as Tiro Pichón, Alcaraz’s second home, they have seen him rally since he was a child, but they have not yet gotten used to the media wave that a tennis number 1 drags. “Let’s go now in case they take us out on TV,” commented four veterans laughing as they hurried a doubles match next to track 3, where the star was expected to appear.
Carlos Alcaraz is no longer just a tennis player, but a social phenomenon that this Thursday turned the courts where he learned to play into a crowded press room and a set for an advertising ‘spot’. When he arrived around 11 in the morning, along with his father and his manager, Albert Molina, the prodigy caught all the eyes of the club. “I’ve seen him since I was little, of course I’m a fan,” commented María José, who canceled her training plans to capture a memory with a boy she speaks of with admiration. «He is humble and the family has not changed. The photo was taken by my father with his cell phone, I have to tell him now to pass it on to me ».
Now, yes, ‘hunting’ it in the Country Club is not so easy. She met ‘Carlitos’ on the way to the recording of another advertisement for the tourist campaign of the Region of Murcia, one of her numerous advertising commitments. “It is a pride to show the name of the Region throughout the world and having the support of the people of Murcia is essential for me,” he assessed a couple of hours later, already surrounded by the media, family, childhood training partners and onlookers who milled around the clay courts.
A few days after traveling to Paris to play Roland Garros, Alcaraz took advantage of a brief stay in his homeland to assess, in a public appearance, the season and his next big goal. “Both for results on clay and for the confidence I have, I put myself on the list of candidates who can win Roland Garros, I’m not afraid to say it,” he admitted. The Murcian accepted the pressure, but avoided placing himself as the main favorite and recognized that a new era in tennis is being born, where the long-awaited young generation is finally making its way before the guard trip. «I can tell you 15 players who can win Roland Garros. There is a wide range of players who can fight for great things: Djokovic, Sinner, Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Rublev…”, said Alcaraz, who also included Nadal in the list of favorites and showed his desire that he could compete two hours before the manacorí announced “a full stop” in his career.
Although he evades the forecasts, the absence of the dominator in Paris and Djokovic’s doubts leave Alcaraz, practically intractable this season, as the clear contender to reign. After the last elimination setback in Rome, he is recovering his self-confidence by taking advantage of these days to “be calm at home, with friends and family.” And, ultimately, “reset”, as he stated that he needed after his defeat. «He came with a lot of load and demand, not only physical but more mental, many weeks. Obviously, I want to win every tournament I go to, but I also take things positively and this defeat helps me to be able to rest”, he assessed a successful period, with titles in Barcelona and Madrid, but also exhausting.
Forgotten the bad drink, the next target is marked in red: the Cup of the Musketeers, a goal for him “since the beginning of the year.” Next week he will travel wrapped up by his team to the French capital, where from May 28 he hopes to return to “feel the love” of the Parisians in the battle for his second Grand Slam. In fact, he has not played any since he rose to the top of tennis at the US Open, since he missed the Australian Open due to injury, and he will also parade for the first time as the top seed in a big one because next Monday he will appear again in the top of the ATP. Even so, despite the fact that with just turned 20 he will be in the first step of the classification for the third time, Alcaraz assures that the ‘ranking’ is not now a priority. “If I enjoy myself, if I have fun, if I don’t pay attention to anything other than playing, good results and points will come in the end,” said Alcaraz, focused on day-to-day life, which is currently based on arriving in full condition at the Bois from Boulogne. “I feel good, ready to get a great result there. Physically and mentally I am fine and I really want to, “he insisted, sure of his possibilities.
display at christmas
Roland Garros will put an end to clay this season, which will continue its course on grass and return to cement in the summer. There is still more than half a year to go, but number 1 has already set the finishing touch for 2023, the Carlos Alcaraz Cup, which he presented this Thursday together with the president of the Community, Fernando López Miras. It will be an exhibition game that will be played at Christmas and will recover a similar appointment scheduled for last year, which was finally suspended. The meeting, according to the leader of the regional Executive, will be “a sporting milestone” that ‘Carlitos’ and “another great world-class top of the ATP circuit” will play. The enclosure is not defined either, but facilities such as the Murcia bullring and the Cartagonova are being considered.
López Miras stressed the “pride” that the Region of Murcia has an “ambassador” of the stature of Alcaraz. The tennis player shared the illusion for the match that will bear his name, since he has not played a match on his land since he jumped onto the ATP circuit. «Besides at lower levels, I competed in Futures and Challengers a couple of times, but I have not had the opportunity again. It is a place where I obviously love to play and face another very good player, for me it is wonderful, “said Ferrero’s pupil, who sent a message of encouragement to reach the stands. “I would love for people from all over Spain, not just here, to come to Murcia to watch a game where I can show my level. It will be a maximum enjoyment ».
With that conviction to have a good time and an indelible smile on his face, Alcaraz left Tiro Pichón just as he arrived: stopping to sign autographs and pose for all the photos requested by club members and old friends who greeted him with a mixture of greetings. affection and impression for his figure. Everyone, like María José, still recognizes in him that boy with whom they shared tracks and loungers in the pool: “He is very good people.”
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