You're my favorite.
Thank you. Thanks so much.
- Thank you. - Enjoy tonight!
- Thank you! - Goodbye!
I've been in the tennis circuit four years now,
and, as time goes by, I've been hitting all of my goals.
LONDON JUNE 2024
Winning Wimbledon is incredible.
It's like a dream.
This year, I'm ready, willing,
and excited to possibly feel what I felt back in 2023 again.
- Hi, it's so good to see you. - Hi, so good to see you.
- Good to see you. - Fantastic. You're okay?
- Yeah. - So happy to see you.
Go on. Have a look at yourself.
You've got a beard there. You've got more of a beard.
Yeah, I should have shaved it, and a lot of people told me that.
It was kind of lucky for me.
- Lucky for you. Exactly. - Yeah.
Going for it again, Carlitos?
We're going for it again, bro. Go for gold.
EVERY YEAR, WIMBLEDON WINNERS RETURN THE TROPHY TO THE CLUB'S DISPLAY CASES
For me, Wimbledon is one of the most beautiful tournaments in the world,
if not the most beautiful,
both for its prestige and for its rules.
You can't set foot on the court unless you're wearing all white.
I had, uh… different color underwear, and it showed a bit through my shorts,
and they called me out on it, saying, "Next time, you're not playing like that."
I mean, it's serious, see? It's strict, for real, for sure.
A Wimbledon tournament is sort of the one that you dream of getting to.
I mean, all the players wanna be part of that.
There's nothing more luxurious, elegant, or historic
than being in that tournament.
For me, Wimbledon was heaven on earth.
Wimbledon is the only one now on grass.
You really feel the history here more than any other tournament.
Wimbledon has always been legendary.
Then came the Big Three, and they changed the world of tennis.
I'd like to be on par with the Big Three as far as titles go.
It's part of my struggle to be the best athlete in history.
CARLOS ALCARAZ MY WAY
It's so beautiful. Look at the court.
How well maintained it all is.
It's truly gorgeous.
There's extraordinary players who have won these tournaments.
Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic
might have won between them, um, practically 80 or 90%
of the trophies at Wimbledon.
Of course, I like to linger on the year 2023,
the one Carlos won,
and the truth is that it was a historic triumph for Carlos.
- Yes! - He's done it.
Incredible. This kid is the real deal.
Twenty years old. Carlos Alcaraz.
He managed to win Wimbledon, a triumph reserved
for a privileged few, for champions.
I'm living out my dreams today through my son, Carlos.
I grew up in a rural town of farmers and working-class people.
But tennis was my passion.
And my dream was to play professionally.
I got my first wins on a regional level and played nationally as well.
But my parents didn't have the financial resources
to help me go pro,
so when I got to 19 or 20 years old,
I realized that I probably wouldn't become a pro athlete.
When we realized that Carlos started standing out,
we found financial support because all that gets really expensive.
So we decided that our manager was going to be Albert.
I started working with Carlos when he was 13, just a child.
I look for players in that age group
that I can support financially through sponsorships.
But the first order of business was to find a trainer at the top of their game.
Now that we're all seated, everyone.
Juanjo, a toast. A toast for all of us.
- Pablito, let's do this! - Yeah, I'll drink to that!
When was the first time you saw Carlos? Do you remember, Pablo?
I was warming up with Carlos before my first match,
and it was the second match because Rafa had…
That's how we told him he was warming up with a 14-year-old.
He said, "With a 14-year-old kid?!"
And I told you, "This kid is ready."
- "He hasn't missed a single shot." - He didn't.
- Not a single shot. - You were there with Zverev.
Right, Zverev.
The idea was to ask Juan Carlos,
that, after training with Zverev, number three in the world,
enjoying the best hotels in the best tournaments in the world,
he'd bet on a 15-year-old kid and start all over again.
I was with Zverev, trying to translate what he said.
He was speaking Russian, so training had to be done in Russian.
Albert asked me to join, be part of the team,
and the idea of getting to work with a young kid
work with him from a young age
to help build something from the ground up,
with the knowledge I have as a player and trainer,
well, the idea spoke to me very much.
Then the next time I saw him, he was in the tennis academy with you.
You arrived at what, 15?
Carlos was a shy kid at the beginning with me.
I think he had a lot of respect for me.
He wasn't very stable. His emotional maturity…
Man, he got very cocky with the wins,
and then he'd complain if it doesn't go his way.
He was down, so basically a roller coaster.
Super brutal, psychological torture, man.
Though it made me real tough.
- Between this one… - Maybe I had to toughen you up.
… and this one here, damn, man, they made me tough.
But that unshakable, unblinking way of facing hard situations,
is what ultimately drew me in.
Hi, I'm Carlos Alcaraz,
and, uh… welcome to Equelite, Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy.
In the academy, well, I was super stoked, super excited.
Here is the… the rooms, the rooms of the players.
So where the players live.
That's my room, and, uh…
where I sleep and I study for school.
Here is Ferrero with his trophies.
And now I… I will show you the rest of the academy.
Follow… follow me.
I spent long stretches of time in the academy.
I'd be there for two weeks and go home on weekends.
Bring out the pictures. Wait, I'm gonna get more pictures.
Let's get the good photos.
Being far away from your family when you're 15 years old,
man, it was a bit… a bit complicated. I won't… I'm not gonna lie.
Look, look, look! Wait. Look over here.
Look. Look at your mom.
Tennis is a very lonely sport,
so in the end, when he started with Juan Carlos,
he stopped seeing most of his friends, uh… stopped going out.
It was becoming an issue.
I think they got lost.
Until he was 15, I tried to balance it all for him.
I wanted him to enjoy things
and hoped he wouldn't give up on all the beautiful things
life offers at that age,
but there comes a moment when you have to commit
and ask yourself if you want to be a professional or not.
Yep, keep it up. Yes.
The world of sports is full of sacrifices.
Those of us who have played know
that there's a lot of things that you have to give up
because, uh… especially time. There's no time.
Check your angles.
Backhand. Okay, four more.
I think that Juan Carlos's contribution provides that focus,
saying, "Hey, do you want to be number one?"
"Do you want to win Grand Slams?"
"You gotta work then, 24 hours a day."
There's no other way.
I trusted my team.
Trusted what they decided and tried to do 100%,
even when it was hard.
But I was gonna give it my all to be a professional player.
Harder! Mind the knees.
Up. Strong.
When Carlos came to us, he was a runt. Super skinny.
Control.
But, to even aspire to be a professional,
we needed a big physical transformation from Carlos.
Come on!
We were clear that we had to build a proper athlete,
to get Carlos to face players who were older than him
so that he would have strength and resistance,
the velocity and power that would be needed
so he could face them head on.
It was new training for him, and it was very difficult.
We had to make it hard for him to used to it.
More, more, more! Come on, come on. Keep going!
He suffered, but he had fast, strong, real results.
The sleeveless shirt he wore in Australia
is evidence of his big physical change.
Every day, we see changes.
The boy has gained lots of muscle, and it really shows.
I also think that he's stronger.
I'm noticing every day, every tournament,
I notice physical improvements.
It really was a surprise to everybody,
meaning it was suddenly like Carlos sprouted wings
'Cause nobody imagined
that this small kid could turn into this large, muscular athlete.
exhibiting all this change.
I think that was the year we all considered Carlos was prepared,
maybe even to win it all.
SEPTEMBER 2022
From Spain, the number-four player in the world,
Carlos Alcaraz.
And the first Norwegian finalist in US Open history,
Casper Ruud.
I remember that Carlos was kind of, uh… a little bit talk of the town.
He was playing some crazy matches on the way to the finals,
and we were both playing for our first Grand Slam.
Whoever won that match would be world number one the following day,
so… was a lot at stake.
I was feeling a bit pressured to play such a young guy,
and he came out, and he was, uh… destroying me.
- Oh, passing winner! - Wow.
The most electrifying, exciting young player we've seen
since the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
and Roger Federer came on the scene.
This boy is special.
He is the US Open champion.
He is the world number one,
the youngest man ever to do that.
We are looking at a new star of this sport.
And he embraces everybody in his box.
The men that have helped get him to where he is right now.
All the hard work that I did with my team, is something that…
yeah, it is really, really special for me.
2022 US Open men's champion, Carlos Alcaraz!
I dreamt I'd be number one in the world.
I dreamt I'd be winning a Grand Slam.
Now I have to keep dreaming
of being among the best for as long as possible.
I think that Carlos is conscious that doing everything right
and doing all the super hard work does give results and will pay off.
How can I not love you
If you just won the US Open For the first time?
Being named world number one and winning a Grand Slam
it changes your life forever.
It all happens fast.
One, two, and we can fill the cup
This is the moment, all up in my cup
- Remember this kid's face. - The new number one in the world.
- At only 19 years old… - Carlos Alcaraz…
…the youngest male to take the number-one ranking.
Come on! Let's go!
Practically speaking, it's three years of hard work,
but in just three years, he'd become a celebrity,
a champion known all over the world.
Carlos, get this one.
- You good? - I'm good. You?
Oh my God.
- Really? - It was like I was playing a final.
And then the brands show up.
- Carlos, wanna play a little golf? - Yeah, let's do it.
Oh!
- Carlos, please. - Later, guys, please.
Carlos, it's your moment.
The tennis calendar is very tight.
He has to spend hours on flights for competitions.
Engagements with sponsors, taking lots and lots of photos.
Perfect.
Carlos, Carlos!
Backward. Turn it around.
- Yours. Yours, yours, yours. - Oh, mine?
- Got it. This or this? - Backwards.
I see.
Thank you. Thanks.
In the end, it's exhausting.
- If we don't have time to eat… - Yeah.
The King Felipe award goes to o Mr. Carlos Alcaraz.
They're calling you. Stressful.
Bro, we're at the light, and we can't run it.
You get deeper in, it's less time for yourself,
and you need more time to invest in all that is tennis
and all that it entails as a part of tennis.
Action.
Okay.
Okay, yeah.
In 2023, I was already mentally exhausted.
It was 24-7, 100% about tennis.
Game, set, and match.
Djokovic.
And at the French Open, well, I lost to Djokovic at the semifinals.
And I had a friend who was on vacation during that time,
and he was gonna be in Ibiza with friends.
"Well, damn," and... "Let me make it out."
"Tomorrow I'm going."
Carlos, come on. Let's go.
I knew I had to talk to Albert first.
"Shit, Albert, I don't know how to tell you."
"I mean, man, I gotta go, if only for two or three days, to Ibiza."
The order is wrong.
I tried to explain to him it's not the best idea
to go three, four days to Ibiza on vacation,
knowing that the following week, you have a tournament in Queen's.
And then Wimbledon.
Are we ready, Toni? Let's go.
In the end, I go, and it's clear what I'll be doing there.
JUNE 2023
In Ibiza, I won't lie, it's basically all parties and going out.
I went there to… basically to forget myself.
I don't know if it's…
that's not the way to say it,
but I went to have fun.
It's insane.
I tried making the most of it
because maybe… who knows when I get three free days again?
I thought, when I get back, I'll win Queen's and Wimbledon.
I'm not I'd win because of partying,
but… but it didn't end up hurting me either.
I mean, I think enjoying those few days off makes me better,
and this year, I gotta keep it up. I know that.
11 JUNE, 2024
Guille, toss him over! Make him fall off!
Carlitos is always first in.
I'm the first one who wants Carlos to be happy and have fun,
but he has to do so when the time is right for that.
Lean further back! Further back, go back!
2 WEEKS UNTIL WIMBLEDON
Ass-flop!
He can go out and unwind if he wants, if that's what he needs.
But don't go before you're prepared and ready for a Grand Slam.
Ehh!
I remember making a deal of saying, "Carlos, not right now."
"You're being selfish in this moment with your future self."
If you go six days to Ibiza and you go out every day,
then you come back on the seventh day
not having taken care of your body or rested enough…
I think that disconnecting can be good,
but, no, a part of your brain has to also try to remember
you're also a tennis player.
I know that they always wanna protect me,
but, I mean, obviously, they already know
that I'm a grown-up,
and, in the end, I need to be making my own decisions.
That's what I want, what I really want.
Thank you for your attention, and enjoy your flight.
QUEEN'S 20 JUNE, 2024
And defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz!
We went to Queen's, he played Queen's,
but his body wasn't actually prepared.
He arrived exhausted after sleepless nights.
How are you supposed to work with that?
And the defending champion is in trouble.
Coming from his holiday,
he didn't have any time or, uh… preparation for Queen's
that could help him at all.
Game, set, and match, Draper.
He lost very quickly, and Carlos was spiraling,
and it's all, "But, man, no one told you to go to Ibiza."
"You should've done the work."
What ends up happening is that, if he doesn't take time off,
he doesn't arrive fresh mentally,
so then we're left with the ongoing fights
between what I want to do and what I have to do.
27 JUNE, 2024
Carlos, please, please. We have to…
Please, we have to get going. Please. Sorry.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Carlos should have time to himself, right?
But we also all have accepted a bit that, uh…
there's maybe a price we have to pay, right?
We've all paid a certain personal price.
- We move to the court? - Yes.
This way.
I'll keep it again if you'd like, Carlitos.
We spent over 20 weeks away from home.
We miss many things, important things, that we'd rather not miss.
- Do I leave it? - Bring it here.
Give it to me. No problem. I'll carry it.
You wanna keep the jacket or hand it to me?
- I'm gonna keep it. It feels cold. - Okay.
- I'm cold. It's cold out. - You let me know. I'm here.
- Okay. - Got it?
I have a wife, a 16-year-old son, a 13-year-old daughter.
So I'm away a lot and hardly watching my children growing up
so I can tend to Carlos's needs.
- How are the kids? - Amazing.
They've successfully finished their studies.
I'd like to be able to spend more time with them, but it's not easy.
And when you're feeling down and thinking about home,
you wonder what you're missing, or what you're not doing about family.
There's my parents, who are getting older, and I can't be with them.
And, like, my anniversary is always on Wimbledon.
The last 19 years, I've spent my birthday alone
I've ordered food. Hope you're all hungry.
- Hey! - Oh!
Shit, he got a goal past us.
Yeah, his own goal.
- I can't believe it, bro. - The first one, man, the first.
What a mess, bro.
It's tough to be away from home for so long, away from the family.
It's true, we chose this world, and it's true, we are used to it,
but that doesn't make it any less hard. It really is difficult.
Man, man, look, it's good.
- Come on! - What a shame.
But there, Nico's going slow.
In February, I got a divorce.
And then four days later, Carlos's father hired me to travel full time.
And now I'm here.
Watch out. Oh no!
The personal sacrifices that we endure
away from our families, from our homes, in a state of constantly working
and not being with family, loved ones, friends,
we do it because we're trying to create one of the best players
in the history of tennis
and sit him at the table with the Big Three.
- Seriously, dude. - More!
He's getting old. They need a cut-off.
I'm serious. They do.
We're gonna score, dude. Come on, we gotta score.
Let's go score, man. I'm sure.
We're here to fight to be the best,
to bring out his competitive edge and create opportunities for him,
and ultimately, if he's not clear on what he wants,
and he prefers to argue and be 15th in the world,
then let's just call it.
That's not who I am.
That would be hard to be okay with.
It'd be hard to accept.
A very good afternoon.
And welcome.
The anticipated finals at Wimbledon 2024.
Carlitos, 21 years old.
He somehow arrived at the finals getting better and better.
And what can I say about his opponent?
The man in front of you, the best player of all time.
Novak Djokovic will defend his title,
looking to clench this 25th Grand Slam.
To be the best in history, you have to beat Djokovic.
It's Djokovic who claims this classic!
I think Novak is a determined and committed person,
the most professional.
The man is a monster.
The ultimate professional.
He knows exactly what he needs to do, and he has the discipline to do it.
Novak is able to sort of be hyper focused all the time.
You know, 24-7.
Follows his diet to the letter.
He sleeps the hours he needs to sleep.
He trains as much as he has to.
The dedication is total and absolute to be the best in history.
Djokovic is very clear on his goals at any given time.
And Carlos isn't willing
to give up the things Djokovic was willing to let go of
to… to achieve his dreams and his goals.
I'm 21, and right now,
I wanna do it my way.
Maybe I'm not as strict with myself.
- Championship. - Let's do it.
This side is good.
Taking my time to maybe enjoy more
and maybe more than… than I should.
And ultimately, that's my method.
The Spanish player is starting strong.
The truth is that the final started well. I was focused.
I knew what I had to do there.
The way he's using that arm.
I kept doing it my way, in the same pattern,
not giving him any opportunities.
Oh no!
Carlos Alcaraz does not lose sight of the ball.
The second set, impeccable.
Third set, break, five to four.
This is it, ladies and gentlemen.
Carlos Alcaraz serves
with the hopes of winning the tournament again.
Oh!
Come on, Alcaraz!
The match is not over yet.
Djokovic has saved three points, and now they're at five games even.
Carlos got distracted. Novak is pretty great.
If you give a guy like that the opportunity,
he's gonna rock you.
It was tough mentally.
You can see the trophy from Wimbledon,
and then no.
Facing Djokovic at this moment, I knew if I lost the set,
it'd really be a struggle
because Djokovic was upping his game ferociously.
In that moment, I told myself, "I gotta beat him."
Carlos Alcaraz is now one of the greats
in the world of tennis,
winning his title here in the cathedral of this sport.
Astounding. It's unprecedented.
It's a huge honor for me to be part of those players
who have achieved the French Open and Wimbledon the same year.
I'm really glad to be, uh… you know, in the same table as Novak to do it.
I'm trying to… to keep going,
to keep, uh… you know, building my path, my journey,
and, uh… but, yeah, it's a huge honor for me.
Winning again at Wimbledon is amazing.
It's incredibly special. For me, it was incredible.
And maybe it's wrong for me to say,
but I've already accomplished a whole a lot in tennis
in my few years of my career.
In this moment, little by little,
I'm getting to know myself better, especially as a player,
and one of the keys to more wins
is to make sure I'm having fun.
Having that moment of just pure joy
on the court,
but to have those moments off the court too,
maybe forget you're a tennis player.
It's not about compatibility, but about necessity.
- Good evening. - Thank you very much.
- Thank you. - Hi, Carlos.
How are you doing?
His understanding of the work and sacrifice is different from ours.
It's so different that I'm starting to doubt
if he really can truly make it as one of the best in history.
Please.
Him winning two Grand Slams this year is great,
but to maintain those numbers every year is what complicated.
It's what really makes it harder.
Wonderful. Okay, guys, here we go. One, two, three.
Cheese. Cheese.
It's one thing to achieve what Carlos already has.
He's among the elite, among the best players right now,
but when you look long term
and compare to the legends over the course of 15 years,
they've held onto it, managing wins.
This is what determines the success of those like Novak,
like Roger and like Rafa.
I'm going to Las Vegas to play a match against Rafa Nadal.
For me, it's pretty important
because basically, it's playing with your idol
You spent a lot of time with Rafa or not so much?
Not so much, not so much.
A suggestion. When… when he's…
when he decides, whenever you should reach him,
and ask him for the things that he would do different, you know?
Yeah.
Be smart, you know.
You always wanna learn in ten minutes what took somebody ten years.
Let's go this way. Yeah.
I mean, man, he told me, "I saw you there online,
trying to be a cool guy and stuff, you know?
- You give a like to all the girls. - No, that's a lie.
- No, it's a lie. - No.
No, it's a lie. No! Hey, it's not like that.
Uh… my man has… My man has told me several times.
Um…
It's not as bad as what he says it is, not as bad as he says,
but, well, I think that it's all a part of the lifestyle.
That fucking Rafa.
Vegas is more than just, you know, the Strip,
but we're seeing the greatest, um… environments for sports to participate.
Tennis come here now, especially with these two guys.
What a gift to Vegas.
I remember the…
the first time I had to face Rafael Nadal, at the Madrid open.
It was a special moment. I had just turned 18.
He's now an adult.
With you all today, Carlos Alcaraz!
You see Rafa Nadal doing his routine,
jumps, sprints to one side and then to the other,
and I… well, I was scared to death.
I don't know. Now don't tell him I was scared shitless.
Understatement.
Game, set, match, Nadal.
And then three years later, I'm playing in Las Vegas
at a big event with my idol.
It's the shit.
- Hey, man. How are you? - Good, and you?
- Good? All good, man. - So good to see you.
I think Pau has been a great example
of determination and improvement,
and I asked him did he wanna go to the lockers
because I knew Carlos would eat it up.
Surround yourself with those who expect greatness from you.
I've now had several conversations
with great champions like Rafa, Pau Gasol.
I keep my mouth shut.
I don't say anything because I feel like I don't have anything I can add to it.
I'm all ears.
There was an event, Nike in Barcelona, and Rafa was there.
They told me, "Look at this boy. He might be the real deal."
"We've signed him."
We did an event together with him. He was only 15.
- And now it's your turn now. - Let's see.
If I'm only half as good… I'll try to be half as good.
- Maybe you could… - Right.
Yeah. Maybe half as good or better. We'll see.
- Better is tough, no? - Yeah, better, maybe not.
Better, maybe not.
Rafa is a formidable tennis player,
a born talent.
Born to be a competitor.
A champion on all levels.
He pushes through pain,
which he's really proven through his entire career.
Mm… Only a few can make it.
Those shorts don't look like a medium. More like a small.
Come on, showing off that butt, huh?
With those tiny shorts!
- What are you saying? - Exactly, exactly.
How many Grand Slams do you have to win a year
to really get to the level of Rafa's numbers?
Well, I'd say at least two,
and if you miss one in a year, then the next year, three.
To get to those numbers, you need many years.
To be as good as one can be, you can't do it in five years.
You've got to be able to live with that motivation
and with that goal
and pursue it until it becomes real.
What Rafa has managed to achieve
is very, very, very, very difficult to achieve,
and also many years ahead.
Meaning you'd have to be winning many Grand Slams over a long time,
with all the sacrifice that it would require.
The sacrifices are many,
meaning Rafa has been playing tennis his entire life.
That's the path to follow.
Incredible.
Oh my goodness.
The French Open should be named Rafa Nadal!
I mean, to get to the numbers that Rafa has,
you have to be bound to it..
It's very difficult to get to the point where you would stop feeling that way.
It's the tricky balance of wanting to be the best at something.
Whatever it is, it's tough to maintain.
You'll end up having no life.
I think Rafa Nadal likes to suffer.
He's an amazing competitor, and he's such a high standard
for kids in Spain growing up.
Obviously, Carlos coming from Spain
and trying to even get close to what Rafa has done is…
that's a very, very tall order.
From the Michelob ULTRA Arena,
everyone's ready to witness two of the best tennis players on the planet.
Legend facing his heir apparent.
He has 92 career singles titles,
22 Grand Slam singles titles,
including 14 at the French,
please welcome Rafael Nadal!
You know, since I joined the team,
I've been hearing that of course Carlos is the new Rafa.
Carlos Alcaraz!
The first time I was compared to Rafa,
I think I was about 16.
It was a moment, a special moment that I cherished,
like, "They're comparing you to your idol, to Rafa."
People saying your son is the new Rafa
is kind of amazing,
but when you're playing, it works against you. It's a lot of pressure.
So people expect him to be like Rafa,
to be some legend,
but he cannot let people get in that head of his.
I don't want my son to become some sort of broken toy.
When you're young and being compared to someone
who has been on the circuit many more years,
there's times that maybe you can get tired of it.
It leads to an excessive amount of pressure
because, in the end, I think it might distort your daily life
and even be confusing.
The new Nadal is named Carlos Alcaraz.
"The successor to Rafa."
Carlos Alcaraz, the new Nadal.
"You're gonna take Rafa's spot."
Nadal now has an heir to his throne.
"The heir apparent to the throne."
"To the crown of the Spanish monarchy."
Mm… It's unnecessary.
"No because Rafa didn't achieve it at your age."
Cool. So what? And?
I don't wanna be called Rafa's successor.
I just wanna be Carlos Alcaraz Garfia.
It would be incredible to win that gold medal next to Rafa.
It's coming, it's coming.
Everyone in the world assumes
that Rafa and Carlos will win that gold medal, of course.
Don't hold anything back. You'll regret it.
For Carlos, this is a higher pressure situation than he's used to.
At the end of the season, Carlos hit rock bottom.
It's okay.
I have a puzzle in my head that I can't always solve.
I'm not sure what I want.
The compatible life is a tricky one, right?
Because you wanna be everywhere, but you can't be.
When you left, I said, "Carlos, now is not the time."
You said, "Coach, yes, I really need this."
I didn't have the mental strength I needed to endure that.
What's your deal?
Charlie, it's not right!
Go there and feel like this, then I'd rather not play tennis.
To be the best in all of history, you have to be devout.
We have never seen him like this ever.
If you feel like you're sacrificing too much,
surely you're not gonna get there in the end.
You'll burn out before you get to try.