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Carlos Alcaraz has once again made it crystal clear that his ultimate dream is to become one of the best tennis players in the history of the sport.
The Spanish youngster is set to turn 20 on Friday, May 5, and played his last match as a teenager on Wednesday, May 3. After trailing 2-5 in the second set, Alcaraz won five games in a row to defeat Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Madrid Open. Alcaraz is aiming for his fourth Masters 1000 trophy and a fourth singles title this season.
The World No.2 has already won a Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open, which also saw him become the youngest male player ever to reach the No.1 ranking.
After storming into the semi-finals in Madrid, when asked about his long-term dream in tennis, Alcaraz stated that he wanted to become one of the greatest players. He realizes that his dream will require a humungous effort and he is ready to work towards it.
“My dream in tennis right now is to become one of the best tennis players in history,” Alcaraz said. “I know that this is a big dream, probably [it] is too big. But in this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big as well. I want to be part of the, you know, the best tennis players in history and I will work for it."
Alcaraz has completed 150 matches on the tour and has a 117-33 record. His 78 winning percent after the 150-match mark is better than some of the most revered names in tennis like Pete Sampras (77.4%), Boris Becker (76.9%), Andre Agassi (76%), Arthur Ashe (75.4%), and Andy Murray (75.2%).
Carlos Alcaraz quotes Late Kobe Bryant on 'failure in sports'
After his match against Karen Khachanov at the 2023 Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz was asked what he thought about failure in sports.
The Spaniard recalled late basketball legend Kobe Bryant's words.
"There is no failure in sports," the Spaniard said. As Kobe Bryant once said, it all depends on you and how you take failure. I take it as a way to keep learning. He said it: if you fail on Monday, you will try on Tuesday, and if you fail on Tuesday, you try on Wednesday'."
"You don't have to stop taking small steps forward, but you're going to fall for sure. The important thing is how you take that fall and how you get up stronger. Failure should not be taken as something bad, but rather as something positive to continue improving and learning," Alcaraz added.
Carlos Alcaraz will face 17th-seed Borna Coric in the semi-finals in Madrid on Friday.
