Carlos Alcaraz commemorates his US Open championship with a special tattoo

Carlos Alcaraz memorialized his first ever Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open with a very special tattoo on his elbow.

Alcaraz became the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal in 2005, when he lifted the US Open trophy last year. He also became the youngest ever player to hold the World No. 1 ranking.

The Spaniard is the top seed at the Argentina Open, set to begin on February 13. Alcaraz has not participated in an ATP tournament since his hamstring injury at the 2022 Paris Masters, but is now ready to make his return. His inability to compete at the Australian Open caused the 19-year-old to lose his World No. 1 ranking after 20 weeks as he slipped down to No. 2 following Novak Djokovic's victory Down Under.

The Argentina Open Twitter account posted some pictures of Alcaraz hard at work practicing for the tournament. The former World No. 1 can be seen focusing on executing his backhand.

"Carlos Alcaraz, poetry in movement," the tweet read.

An eagle-eyed tennis journalist spotted a beautiful homage to his Grand Slam victory on Alcaraz's left elbow.

"Carlitos tattooed the date of his US Open win," the tweet said.

The Spaniard has tattooed the date of his US Open win, 11 September 2022, on his elbow. The tattoo reads, "11.09.22."

Alongside Alcaraz, Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Musetti are seeded second and third at the 2023 Argentina Open. Diego Schwartzman, a local favorite, is the fourth seed. Dominic Thiem, who won the US Open in 2020, was given a wildcard, while the defending champion, Casper Ruud, chose not to compete.

Carlos Alcaraz needs to be psychologically ready for a "tricky" year, says tennis journalist

Carlos Alcaraz at the Rolex Paris Masters

Carlos Alcaraz had an exceptional 2022 season as he wrapped up the year with his first Grand Slam, two Masters 1000 titles and two ATP 500 titles and ended the year as World No. 1.

Tennis journalist Steve Flink said that the Spaniard will have to deal with the pressing weight of expectations as he attempts to defend all the points he won the previous year while also trying to regain his World No. 1 position from Novak Djokovic.

"I think he is a very strong-minded character, very disciplined, determined and very mature but this year is going to be a tricky year, psychologically," Flink said.

During his appearance on the Monday Match Analysis show, Flink stated that Carlos Alcaraz will face a significant amount of pressure as a result of potentially exceeding his own expectations from the previous year.

"It's always fun when you're on the way up. That was a sharp climb for him and then suddenly he finds himself in a position to finish the year at No. 1, and he manages to do it. It was more than he could have dreamed off at the start. I am sure he would have hoped for maybe a top 5 in the world which would have been the ceiling but gets to No. 1. Now, anything less than that this year, or anything less than winning another Major it all can start playing with your mind," Flink said.