It is something Alcaraz has in common with his great Italian rival Jannik Sinner, who once famously told reporters he likes to “dance in the pressure storm”. These kids are different.
Everyone wants a piece of “King Carlos”, who Forbes reported in August led all tennis players with extraordinary estimated earnings of $35 million.
And don’t confuse any of this with Alcaraz not caring, either.
He is one win away from becoming the youngest man to complete a career grand slam, which means winning all of his sport’s four biggest titles: the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Alcaraz, who turns 23 in May, has pocketed the latter three titles twice each, but had never been beyond the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park before this fortnight.
He made it clear pre-tournament that he was a man on a mission.
To put that in perspective, Alcaraz will shatter fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s record by about 18 months if he beats the grand master, Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open final on Sunday night.
History beckons for Alcaraz – and he wants it.
The Spaniard did not hesitate when asked after his awe-inspiring five-set victory under cramping duress over Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Friday night whether he would prefer this year to win the Australian Open title or each of the other three grand slams again.
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“I would choose this one,” Alcaraz said. “I would say I rather win this one than the three, and complete the grand slam and be the youngest ever to do it.”
The noise around Alcaraz and what more he could still achieve is not merely hyperbole.
Bjorn Borg, Nadal and Alcaraz are the only men’s players to win six major championships by age 22. Alcaraz has won two grand slam titles each on hard, grass and clay courts, which only Nadal, Wilander and Djokovic ever accomplished on the men’s side.
Nadal and Wilander were both 24, while Djokovic managed it at 34. A reminder here that Alcaraz is 22. Not even the legendary Roger Federer, who won at Roland-Garros just once, could do it.
“To complete the career grand slam already would be crazy, so let’s see if he is able to do ‘crazy’ this week,” Federer said of Alcaraz. “I hope he does because for the game – that would be an unbelievable, special moment.”
Leading tennis commentator and former doubles player Robbie Koenig has his own theory on why Alcaraz can eat pressure for breakfast.
Power without feeling overwhelmed by pressure: Carlos Alcaraz.Credit: Eddie Jim
Koenig was preparing to play golf at Royal Wimbledon last year, the day before the men’s singles final between Alcaraz and Sinner. When he arrived, the club pro told him his “mate” – who he soon found out was Alcaraz – had teed off about an hour or so earlier to play 18 holes.
“Everyone else would be so stressed out and super focused [before a major final], but he knows what works for him, and he’s found that formula at such a young age,” Koenig said.
“The fact he can smile in the biggest of moments to defuse a situation and appreciate the quality of your shot is remarkable. He can be almost gobsmacked at the spectacular stuff he does at times, too. I think that personality trait lends itself to longevity.”
Koenig places Alcaraz alongside stylish Swiss shot-maker Federer as his favourite tennis players to commentate, or “the gold standard”, as he puts it.
But while Alcaraz potentially doesn’t feel any, or much, pressure, Koenig certainly does when he calls any of the Spaniard’s matches. The South African wants to live up to the on-court magic.
The best commentators are not only brilliant at off-the-cuff one-liners that capture a special moment perfectly, they are also prepared. This masthead flicked through about 350 snappy lines in Koenig’s phone, some of them designed specifically for Alcaraz.
Listen for the one about Alcaraz being so fast he could answer a missed call. But Koenig’s favourite description for the world No.1 is to say he has “nuclear athleticism”.
“There’s nothing he can’t do, so for a commentator, that’s the best thing ever – just that unknown,” Koenig said. “Sinner is bringing more of that in his game style, but less so in his personality, and that’s why I think as a commentator it’s such a dream to commentate on Alcaraz’s matches.
“You know you’re going to see something spectacular, and get his emotional response to go with it. I’m just hoping I don’t f— it up.”
Australian tennis great Paul McNamee rates Alcaraz the best all-round player he has witnessed, labelling him a “virtuoso”.
It is a massive call, but Wilander – who predicts that Alcaraz will reach the same grand slam-winning feats of the “Big Three” – Djokovic, Nadal and Federer – offers a similar assessment, believing his rare talent comes with no technical flaws, unlike some other tennis icons.
“Carlos can hit a blinding forehand, then with the same grip, in the next instant, you will get an exquisite drop shot,” McNamee told this masthead.
“No one has got the adaptability and versatility and control in all aspects of the game [that Alcaraz has]. You have got to understand the magic of what he brings to the sport.”
Wilander even had an on-air conversation at this Australian Open with American tennis legend John McEnroe about whether it was possible that Alcaraz’s wizard-like right hand potentially operated, at times, before his brain actually went into action.
The Swede thought McEnroe, known for his exceptional touch and feel of the tennis ball, was the perfect person to bounce that concept off.
“I think Alcaraz sometimes hits shots where it’s just a reaction because he’s got great hands, whereas for me, I would never have hit a tennis shot without thinking about it,” Wilander said.
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“He sometimes reacts to the situation – or at least that’s what it looks like to me. Sometimes, I feel like he hits a drop shot that he didn’t want to hit, which is sometimes when the smile comes, where he makes a fool in front of himself – not anyone else – because I don’t think he worries about that.”
Wilander also likened Alcaraz to Nick Kyrgios, in that fans not only want and expect them to win matches, but also entertain them while doing so. That is a burden in itself that not all players carry.
That said, there are very few athletes, and even fewer tennis players, on the planet who can relate to Alcaraz. He is a rare species who will become rarer if he conquers Djokovic at his Melbourne Park fortress on Sunday night.
Koenig, a retired doubles specialist who peaked inside the world’s top 30, has watched Alcaraz rally from two sets and match points down to Sinner at Roland-Garros last year, and even wriggle out of near-certain defeat against Zverev two nights ago.
“The clutch factor with this guy is a joke, man,” Koenig said.
“I can’t believe how much confidence [last year’s Roland-Garros final] must infuse into you. I’d win a 250 event in doubles, and I’d think I was walking on water. The confidence when I arrived the next week was off the charts – but can you imagine what it must be like for Carlos Alcaraz?”
The smile says it all.
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