‘More grand slams’: Carlos Alcaraz already has sights set on 2023 glory after US Open triumph
Carlos Alcaraz has had a huge breakthrough in two years. A decade ago he was struggling to find form as his career was in decline. Two years ago he won a major and in June he won his first major since the 2009 U.S. Open.
Alcaraz has now been ranked in the top six since he won his first major title on the U.S. Tour in April. But at 36, it’s still not all he could have wanted.
“I’m still working,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t really know. It’s about time, man. Time is something I feel I need a lot of. It’s something I need to be productive with because no matter what I’m doing, it’s not really good for me.”
The Spaniard, who turned pro in 2013, had a rough 2017 when he suffered a knee injury that made him miss the first two months of the season and ended the year ranked outside the top 100. Then there’s the fact that since becoming a professional, he’s had a string of injuries including two knee surgeries that have kept him out of action for five months.
But he has made the most of his second chance with a string of solid performances in both majors that have brought him to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.
“Maybe because I always have to be positive,” said Alcaraz, who had a career-best five-set win over Feliciano Lopez at the Miami Open in July to jump up to the middle of the table. “I always have to be positive and happy. But I don’t have to be positive all the time. I don’t have to stay positive. I can try to get a good start in my career. I try to do that. After this two months that’s what I try to