Google News Carlos Alcaraz: 'I can't wait to play in Barcelona and gather more experience'
by JOVICA ILIC | VIEW 1990
Born in 2003, the 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has been among the youngster to watch in the last two seasons, earning many milestones for his generation and building his way towards the top-100. Carlos won the first Futures title in July 2019 at 16 and played in the first Challenger title a couple of weeks later to make a name for himself ahead of 2020.
Everything worked well for the young gun at the beginning of the previous season, conquering two Futures titles and securing the first ATP victory at the ATP 500 event in Rio. Working hard during the pandemic, Alcaraz stormed over his rivals to claim three Challenger titles by the end of the season, entering the top-150 and setting high goals ahead of 2021.
Led by a former world no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos continued where he left in 2020, qualifying for the season's first Major in January and becoming the youngest player with a victory at Majors since 2014 a month later.
Carlos gathered experience in Acapulco and Miami before finding the winning streak again at home in Marbella, beating Nikola Milojevic, Feliciano Lopez and Casper Ruud to become the youngest ATP semi-finalist since 2014. After a well-deserved rest, a teenager will make a debut at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona against Frances Tiafoe this week, feeling thrilled about competing at one of his favorite tournaments.
Carlos Alcaraz is thrilled to compete in Barcelona.
"I'm motivated to play well at the ATP 500 Barcelona event and the Masters 1000 in Madrid. It's a fantastic chance for me to play at home and against excellent rivals. I'm getting a lot of experience in the last couple of months, and I'm looking forward to more.
I'm thrilled and hungry at the same time. I have learned a lot from the last couple of tournaments, playing well against more experienced and exciting rivals. The most important thing that I have learned is how to deal with the pressure in challenging moments and remain aggressive.
I'm learning to play the entire match at the same pace, including those crucial points that can decide a winner. I'm happy with my progress so far. For me, playing in Barcelona is a dream come true. Since I was a kid, I have watched the tournament, and I got a chance to play in the qualifying round two years ago.
It was a great experience, and now I will enjoy it like a kid. It's a dream come true. I played here at the U14 level and the Spanish tournaments in this club. I know many people here and have a lot of friends here; for me, playing in Barcelona is amazing," Carlos Alcaraz said.
