How Alcaraz’s childhood struggles shaped his tennis journey
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has opened up about difficulties of
being brought up in a ‘medium class’ family. The 21-year-old is regarded as one
of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along
with the likes of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz has been recently quoted in a report where he talked
about how difficult it was for him to live a life in a ‘medium class’ family.
He further stated that despite those difficulties, he was always happy.
“When I was a kid we didn’t have big luxuries. But the
small things make the difference. We came from a medium-class family where he
had what was necessary. I was always happy with what I had,” Alcaraz said. “I was passionate about sport and tennis in particular, but it was a very
normal childhood. Today we are here, feeling very lucky and grateful and
wanting to do our bit by getting moving for children.”
Alcaraz has recently had a great 2024 season where, for the first
time, he ended up winning two Grand Slams in a calendar year. He first lifted
the French Open after beating current world number two Germany’s Alexander
Zverev in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1,
6–2. The young Spaniard then went on to lift the Wimbledon title for the second
time in two years after beating the former world number one Serbia’s Novak
Djokovic in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. Alcaraz’s last title in 2024 was the China Open in Beijing, where he defeated world number one Sinner with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 7-6. His last appearance in 2024
came in the ATP Finals, where he failed to cement his spot in the semifinal after
losing two out of three matches in the round-robin stage.