Carlos Alcaraz and the hunt for Sinner: Australian Open goal

The Spanish champion is ready to intensify his preparation for 2025: he will move from Murcia to Alicante, he will also train with his Italian friend. For the career grand slam he only needs the Melbourne major

Luigi Ansaloni

December 15 – 10:07 am – MILAN

Pitch, gym, sweat and great intensity. Never have we seen Carlos Alcaraz so committed and determined in pre-season training, and after all his latest statements leave little room for interpretation. “I want to win the Australian Open,” said the Spanish phenomenon in Murcia, his home, where he is working towards 2025. If he manages to conquer Melbourne, Alcaraz would become the youngest player in history to win the career grand slam, i.e. win all four majors, making him the fifth to do so in the Open era after Agassi, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.

win on hard courts

“I want to reach this goal”, said the world number three, and to do so he will have to beat his biggest rival, number one Jannik Sinner, on the blue’s favorite terrain, namely hard courts. Alcaraz knows that it will not be an easy challenge and that he will have to accomplish a feat, but the Spaniard also knows that in 2024, although successful (Roland Garros and Wimbledon put on the board), he has been too fluctuating, at times disappointing. The watchword, for him and for coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, will be “continuity”.

Lopez is also on staff

Now the hunt for Sinner is open, very open, starting from the throne of Australia. The world number three from Murcia will move to Alicante, where last year he crossed paths with Jannik. This year he won’t find the world number 1 but Flavio Cobolli, his great friend, who will train with Carlos to prepare him too for the best year. Samuel Lopez will work on Alcaraz’s staff and will work alongside him to try to bring him to peak condition in the Australian heat of January.

no South American tournaments

That the Spaniard’s programming is more focused and with fewer “frills” can also be seen from the fact that after the Australian Open there will no longer be the strange South American trip to clay (at least for players of that level) but a more appropriate participation at indoor hard court tournaments, such as Rotterdam. Surface on which Sinner remains distant, almost unbeatable. It is therefore normal that Alcaraz’s pursuit also involves improving his weak points, and at present indoors is.



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