Carlos Alcaraz: How the Australian Open champion made history as the youngest player to win a Grand Slam

Watching Alcaraz is, for the most part, like watching sunlight embodied.

There is a carefree joy in shooting it. The huge forehand that rockets across every surface, the drop shots and volleys that few would dare attempt.

Then there is Alcaraz himself. He runs around the playground with puppy enthusiasm, a huge smile never far from his face. Sleeveless shirts, shouts of “Vamos!”, and ill-advised New York trends all add to the theatrics.

Alcaraz plays with the motto passed down to him by his grandfather – Cabeza, Corazon, Cogones. Head, heart and balls. A reminder to be brave in the big moments, and to truly go for what you want. It served him well throughout his career.

Tennis,” Alcaraz told Vogue, external In 2023, it’s in his blood. His great uncle built the club in Murcia where generations of the family would play. His father, who played until he could no longer afford it, was a director there. The Alcaraz siblings all play tennis, with eldest brother Alvaro serving as a hitting partner and unofficial barber.

Given his first racket at the age of four, Alcaraz spent most of his time there. His first coach, Kiko Navarro, told BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller that the young Alcaraz was very angry.

He said in 2024: “When he was a child, he broke a lot of rackets and I had to take him crying to the hotel or home.” While Alcaraz described himself as a “bad loser.”

IMG agent Albert Molina watched 11-year-old Alcaraz play a Futures tournament in Murcia. “You can already see his winning personality, his courage and his fearlessness,” he told the 2021 ATP Tour website., external

“He had so much versatility that he often made mistakes. At one point he was approaching the net, opening up the corners, playing a slice, shooting a high shot…”

Sound familiar?