Carlos Alcaraz on the cover of Men's Health
The guy is impressive: Carlos Alcaraz has been physically toiling a lot in recent months. The result now graces the March issue of Men's Health. In an interview, however, he reveals that the body comes second.
by Dennis Heineman
last edit: Mar 01, 2022, 08:30 pm
The 18-year-old started 2022 on fire and his Rio Open title run made him the youngest-ever ATP 500 event winner. The win also propelled Alcaraz into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time, a feat he accomplished at a younger age than Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Now the Spanish hope can be seen on the front page of this month's Men's Health. An excerpt from the related article:
There has been a lot of talk about Carlos Alcaraz's physical transformation in recent weeks, but his maturity went much further. At 18, the tennis player from El Palmar (Murcia) won his first ATP 500 tournament and jumped into the top 20 after winning the final in Rio de Janeiro. He has shown that his tennis is much more than muscle and youth.
"Tennis for me is purely mental," says the tennis player in the exclusive interview he granted to Men's Health Spain. "In the end, you are alone on the court and you and only you must know how to overcome and find solutions. Alcaraz is the latest 'cover' in the magazine's 20-year history in Spain, another milestone in its daring precocity.
"I don't feel like Rafa's successor"
Nadal's shadow is large, but Alcaraz avoids comparisons: "I don't feel like anyone's successor. I want to be known as Carlos Alcaraz and not as Rafa Nadal's successor. I want my name to be known.”
The New York Times called him "the big sensation in sports" and "a true child prodigy". For John McEnroe he is "a player who will win a lot of majors".
"I've always thought that you have to be a person first and then an athlete," says Alcaraz, who is always very grateful for the work of his coach, former tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero. "It's a motto that helps me to keep your cool and grounded no matter what."