Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz has his sights set on the "big goal".
Carlos Alcaraz will tackle the Australian Open as the world number one. The Spaniard subordinates everything to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 25, 2022, 05:07 pm
For the first time in his young career, Carlos Alcaraz will tackle a Grand Slam tournament on January 16, 2023 as the industry leader. The 19-year-old will definitely be top seeded at the Australian Open and is the big hunted in Melbourne - at least according to the seeding list. An unusual role for the Spaniard.
The preparation that Alcaraz will complete in Australia is also unusual. In contrast to all other top players, the man from Murcia does not participate in a preparatory tournament. The reason for this: The world number one wants to spend additional time on the training ground after suffering an abdominal muscle injury at the beginning of November.
"I decided to sacrifice the tournaments at the beginning of the year in order to concentrate on the big goal," said Alcaraz on the sidelines of an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi a few days ago. In the United Arab Emirates, the teenager left an alarming impression: both against Andrey Rublev and against Casper Ruud, there were clear defeats.
Alcaraz still has some time to get in shape for the Australian Open. "The goal is to improve my level and be ready for the first Grand Slam of the season," said the Spaniard. For this reason, the 19-year-old will compete in the exhibition tournament in Kooyong (January 10-12) before the first major event of the year.