"I don't wanna compare myself to them, but I wanna be like them" - Carlos Alcaraz on Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic
After winning his maiden Major title and becoming the new World No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz said that he does not compare himself to the Big 3, but would like to emulate their achievements and consistency.
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have dominated the sport for the past two decades, winning a whopping 63 Majors between them.
While Alcaraz said it was "incredible" to be the youngest-ever World No. 1, he made it clear that consistency over a long period of time is what he is looking for.
"It's incredible to be the youngest #1 ever. But it's much tougher what the Big 3 is doing: stay on top for 20 years. That's what I'm looking for. I don't wanna compare myself to them, but I wanna be like them," said Alcaraz.
"It's incredible to be the youngest #1 ever. But it's much more thougher what the Big 3 is doing: stay on top for 20 years. That's what I'm looking for. I don't wanna compare myself to them, but I wanna be like them".
The teenager acknowledged that he has not yet reached his full potential and has a lot of improvements to make, mentally and physically.
"I agree with Juan Carlos. I'm at 60% of my potential. There are a lot of things to improve. Nadal, Djokovic and Federer improved a lot of things over the years. I have to improve mentally and physically. The tennis too. I can stay in my comfort zone," he said.
"I have to improve mentally, physically. The tennis too. I can stay in my comfort zone".
"It means a lot to me to have a lot of people supporting me here in New York" - Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz burst onto the scene by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets at the 2021 US Open. In his press conference after the final, he mentioned that New York holds a special place for him. The Spaniard also credited the support he received for being able to come through the tough matches.
"It means a lot to me to have a lot of people supporting me here in New York. What I lived last year was incredible. But this year was unscriptable. As I said, there were a lot of tough moments for me, tough matches. They were there all the time believing in me, supporting me. I finish the match against Jannik at almost 3 a.m. and they were there supporting me until the last ball," said Carlos Alcaraz.
"I could say this trophy is for them, as well. It's thanks to them. Maybe if I hadn't them supporting me all the time, I couldn't have this trophy today. To think that I'm able to win these matches, to overcome these tough moments, for me, is crazy to know that I have a lot of people supporting me around the world," he added.