Carlos Alcaraz with his team (image via Instagram)
Fresh out of the clay season with three titles, including his momentous Roland Garros title defense, Carlos Alcaraz is now ready for the grass season. He will be looking to make a strong impact at Queen’s before another title defense attempt at Wimbledon.
However, in between these two seasons, Alcaraz enjoyed his brief well-known party time in Ibiza, of which he spoke of during a press conference at Queen’s. As seen in his Netflix documentary, Ibiza is an important ritual for Alcaraz. In 2023, Alcaraz let off steam with a trip to the Mediterranean island after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros semifinals, having suffered with nerves and cramps. Ibiza’s tonic paid off spectacularly, too, as a few weeks later aged 20, he defeated the Serb in the Wimbledon final.
“No one tried to stop me from going because they knew perfectly well I would be at 100%. I am very happy that this year they supported me in this way, telling me to go wherever I wanted, to disconnect. Feeling supported when making decisions is important. Every year we learn and adapt to what happens. Perhaps in a few years, I won’t be able to make this trip, but right now, this disconnection works for me. I want to make my own decisions and be wrong if necessary.”
The Spaniard repeated the trick in 2024 with another Ibiza trip before the grass court season, and this time he accomplished the Channel Slam. However, this refreshing trip came against the behest of his team including his agent Albert Molina, fitness coach Juanjo Moreno, and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
However, now, Alcaraz has revealed that his team is supportive of his decision, something which he is happy about and stressed the importance of. This emphasizes the importance of trusting and supporting young people in their decisions, and letting them take accountability for it.
Jack Draper has a different way to unwind compared to Carlos Alcaraz
After a tight victory over World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final, Carlos Alcaraz will compete at the Queen’s Club Championships where he triumphed in 2023. He lost last year in the Round of 16 to Jack Draper in straight sets. The World No. 4 will be an opponent to watch out for. Alcaraz will start off his campaign at Queen’s against compatriot Alejandro Davidovic Fokina, while Draper will face Jenson Brooksby.
Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s 2024 (image via HSBC CHampionships)
British No. 1 Draper took a different approach to his Queen’s preparations, as he prefers spending time relaxing at home in London instead of a sunshine break. After a fourth-round exit at the Roland Garros, Draper while speaking to the press at Queen’s said that he had a couple of days off to get settled back in before he regroups and goes again for the coming weeks.
“Everyone’s different, for me I like being at home you know. I love going back to the UK, to my flat or to family home, like come back see my family. You know I never get that time to be able to come back home and just to completely relax. You know I’m someone as well, when I work, I work really hard and I’m always trying to improve and stuff and it’s sometimes nice for me now just to come back and just take my mind off everything. I don’t really feel the urge to be going out partying and all that sort of stuff. I’d rather just come home and just chill out in all honesty and not have any obligations, not think about anything.”
The 23-year-old has never advanced beyond the second round at Wimbledon in three main-draw appearances, but will go into his home Grand Slam event as the highest seeded British man since Andy Murray in 2017. Carlos Alcaraz will be eyeing a three-peat in Wimbledon.
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