Carlos Alcaraz understands how to get ready effectively for the new season, but his competitors do as well, as he recently identified the toughest part of contending at the Australian Open.
The young Spaniard could be among the leading contenders to triumph in every tournament he participates in, yet that doesn’t imply he doesn’t face difficulties. In 2024, Alcaraz secured two major titles, and for 2025, he aims to begin by claiming the Australian Open.
He isn’t hesitant to acknowledge that it’s his goal, and if he achieves it, he will be the youngest individual to finish the Career Grand Slam.
Prior to the season’s first major, Alcaraz opted for a somewhat unconventional strategy. Among the players positioned within the Top 60 of the ATP Rankings, just five did not participate in any warm-up tournaments prior to the Australian Open.
Two of them, Jack Draper and Tallon Griekspoor, are hurt, one of them is Daniil Medvedev, who recently had his second child, so his absence makes sense.
The remaining two are the two currently most luminous stars on the ATP Tour, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Nevertheless, they will finish a few matches prior to the commencement of the Australian Open.
They both enrolled for charity exhibition matches at the Rod Laver Arena, allowing them to experience the court on which they will compete. Sinner has already competed in his opening match, winning against Alexei Popyrin. Alcaraz will encounter the same rival in one of his contests.
However, in a recent conversation with Tennis Channel’s Peter Bodo, the Spaniard acknowledged that he struggles with the reality that all players arrive well-prepared in Australia, which affects his prospects of winning the first major of the year.
Many players have participated in matches and tournaments prior to Australia (the tournament), and they get ready for it quite thoroughly. To me, that’s the toughest aspect of Australia.
“Everyone is having a strong and fairly successful pre-season.” It seems everyone will reveal their efforts on the table, showcasing how hard they labored for Australia to achieve great results.
Ben Shelton, who also discussed with Bodo, examined why certain players begin the season stronger than others, while some excel towards the end of a season and continue that momentum into the new one, and others face difficulties the entire time.
“It’s intriguing.” By the year’s conclusion, there are specific players who are in outstanding condition; they are battle-hardened. Perhaps they were hurt previously, which allowed them some time off, and now they’re performing exceptionally well.
“Perhaps they recently triumphed in the tour finals, had excellent performances at the Davis Cup, participated in those exhibitions, and competed in many strong matches.” They’re the ones who are feeling great, while the others are thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve taken six weeks off.’ “I’m not feeling very strong at the moment.”
Leave a Reply