Carlos Alcaraz’s season ended on November 19th, when Rafael Nadal played the last match of his career. There were high expectations on Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, but the run of the local idols ended already on Day 1 against a great Netherlands (who only lost to Italy in the final).
The 21-year-old from Murcia would have liked to give one last great joy to his illustrious compatriot, but some wrong choices by captain David Ferrer and Carlitos’ inexperience in doubles condemned Spain to a very disappointing result.
The 4-time Grand Slam champion can be very happy with his results this year, although he has lacked some consistency that would have allowed him to be closer to his great rival Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings.
The Spaniard has also been overtaken by Sascha Zverev in the last tournaments of the season and will be seeded number 3 at the next Australian Open, with the risk of having to face Sinner already in the semifinals. Carlitos learned some very important lessons in 2024 and will use the pre-season to work on some aspects of his game.
Alcaraz also wants to improve in terms of mental strength, in order to reduce the number of ups and downs during the season. His coach Juan Carlos Ferrero is insisting on these aspects to allow his player to become even better.
Carlitos will play two more matches
After the Davis Cup Finals, the Spaniard flew to the Dominican Republic with his brother Alvaro to enjoy a few days of vacation.
To be precise, Carlos has not played his last match in 2024. After this short vacation, the world number 3 will move to New York to participate in an exhibition called ‘The Garden Cup’. The 4-time Grand Slam champion will face young American Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden on December 4th. On the same night, US Open finalist Jessica Pegula will face Emma Navarro.
Just two days later, Carlitos will headline ‘The Charlotte Invitational’, another performance in which he will face Frances Tiafoe. The other match of the night will be the one between Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. The latter event will be held at the Spectrum Center, the arena of the Charlotte Hornets.
The former world No. 1 will prepare in Spain before leaving for Australia after Christmas. As in past years, the Spaniard will not play any official tournament before the Australian Open in 2025. Alcaraz’s goal is to play better at Melbourne Park than in past editions, in which he has never gone beyond the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz has his certainties
The support of his family and his coach Ferrero is crucial for Carlos, who often seeks the gaze of his mentor in the most complicated moments of the match.
“Juan Carlos and I have spent a lot of time together, many years,” said Alcaraz during a recent interview. “We have great trust. Of course, it’s important having him there with me, it’s a great help. We know how to communicate at all times, having him there in the box is genuinely a huge boost, it’s great to have him with me” – he added.
The Spaniard also talked about his family: “My older brother Alvaro, he’s obviously a big support, I’m really lucky having him there on the team, having him at most tournaments. Now my father and uncle also travel a lot, I think it’s important to have that part of my family at the tournaments I play in.
At the end of the day, if you’re on court for two or three hours a day, the rest of the time you’re off court, and I’m really a family person who needs his loved ones close by. That’s what gives me peace of mind and makes me feel good. Not missing home so much.
I don’t see them much, and they’re at school right now, it’s difficult for them to travel, but there are a few tournaments they’ve come to and seeing them there with me makes me very happy. When I get home, I try not to make them see me as Carlos the tennis player, but as their older brother, but they’re at a difficult age.”
Although the 2024 season has just ended, some details about Alcaraz’s schedule in 2025 are already known. Unlike in recent years, the Spaniard will not play tournaments on red clay in South America but will participate in the Rotterdam ATP 500 in February. The 21-year-old from Murcia wants to improve in indoor conditions and has chosen a very prestigious tournament before the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells (where he won two titles in a row) and Miami (where he won in 2022).
