“This year I would choose…” Carlos Alcaraz has his priorities set when it comes to picking between defending Wimbledon and winning Olympic Gold

Alcaraz knows how important the four-yearly event is.

“This year I would choose…” Carlos Alcaraz has his priorities set when it comes to picking between defending Wimbledon and winning Olympic Gold

Carlos Alcaraz (via Imago)

With less than two weeks between Wimbledon and the Olympics this year, many players are made to choose between the two tournaments to focus on. This is because the events are being played on two starkly different surfaces: grass and clay. 

The transition from clay to grass and back to clay may take a toll on players. This is why Rafael Nadal is likely to miss Wimbledon in preparation for his Olympics campaign. Carlos Alcaraz seems to have similar priorities as evident from his response when asked if he prefers a Wimbledon title or an Olympic gold.

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The Olympic Games are every four years, and it’s a special tournament where you’re not only playing for yourself, but for a country, representing every Spaniard. I think this year I’d choose Olympic gold.
Carlos Alcaraz said via ATP

A young Carlos Alcaraz was once recorded saying that his dream was to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros. He won Wimbledon last year after an unbelievable brawl against Novak Djokovic. Last week, he realized his whole dream by winning the French Open. At just 21, he has achieved what he had initially set out to and has his sights set on the next big thing. 

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To him, this would be winning an Olympic gold as that would contribute to his country, Spain, which he is very proud of. He may also be presented with an opportunity to meet a more recent goal of his, which is to play doubles with Nadal in Paris, at the Olympics. 

Carlos Alcaraz addresses latest comparisons to the Big Three

Since the inception of his career, the prodigal Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz, has seen himself being compared to the big three – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. All three of them were at the top of the game for a long time and broke several records along the way. 

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Imago)

However, none of them had found as much success as Alcaraz has at just 21 years of age, except maybe Rafa. Alcaraz has already broken records by becoming the youngest World No. 1 ever and continues to impress with his performance and maturity.

He has now become the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces, a record previously held by Andre Agassi, not a member of the big three. This yielded more comparisons with the greats, but Alcaraz feels the need for him to perform at the same level even in his late thirties to be worthy of these comparisons.

I’ve seen videos, but with a few highlights I can’t compare myself to what they were like at my age. In the end, as I’ve always said, it doesn’t matter what I’ve achieved at this age if I now stand still. I want to continue my career, I want to keep growing and get to where Djokovic, Rafa and Federer are... the greats, the geniuses, they kept improving until they were 37 or 38. Staying at the very top for 16 or 17 years, fighting for big titles season after season, dealing with the pressure, with injuries, with everything, that’s extraordinary and very few can do it.
Carlos Alcaraz said

He also understands the mental toughness that is required to sustain that level for as long as the big three did, and only time will tell if he can achieve the unthinkable.

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