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\nWhen Carlos Alcaraz lifted the US Open trophy in New York and became the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history, the Spaniard said it was a dream come true.<\/p>\n
\nThree months on, the 19-year-old feels like he is still dreaming, as he admits it still hasn\u2019t fully sunk in yet.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt sounds like a dream for me. Honestly, there are so many times I think about this year, about my position right now, and I still can\u2019t believe it. I\u2019m thinking, \u2018Is this real? I\u2019m No.1 in the world?\u2019 I\u2019m dreaming. It\u2019s something I have to realize someday,\u201d Alcaraz told Arab News in an interview ahead of his upcoming Mubadala World Tennis Championship debut.<\/p>\n
\nOne of the possible reasons Alcaraz still hasn\u2019t fully comprehended his achievements is that he hasn\u2019t even had time to celebrate. \u201cI\u2019m going to have a team dinner with everyone, it\u2019s going to be the best moment of the year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\nThe tennis merry-go-round barely stops, spinning at an unforgiving speed, giving little chance for players to take a moment to appreciate their victories or grieve their losses.<\/p>\n
\nThe day after Alcaraz won a maiden Grand Slam crown in New York, he hopped onto a plane to Valencia to join his Spanish teammates at the Davis Cup. He then competed in Astana, Basel and Paris, before pulling out of his last two events of the season due to a muscle tear in his left abdomen.<\/p>\n
\nHe has \u201calmost 100 percent\u201d recovered from the injury and expects to be training \u201cnormally\u201d within a week.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI had so many tournaments and had no time to realize 100 percent the US Open. Of course it was a great feeling for me. All I can say is that nothing changed,\u201d Alcaraz said when asked about what it felt like being a Grand Slam champion and the men\u2019s top-ranked player at events after the US Open.<\/p>\n
\nFor him, the tour just kept on going and he just tried to keep up.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\nI’m on the 2022 #TIME100NEXT<\/a> list! @TIME<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/4hFSDqzlK0 pic.twitter.com\/aDBSjYufIZ<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) September 28, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\n\u201cObviously yes, all the people want to beat the No. 1 in the world. I could feel that after the US Open everyone had a target on me and everyone wanted to face me on court. That\u2019s what I have to be prepared for,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\nAlcaraz has a 6-4 win-loss record after the US Open, including a pair of defeats to Felix Auger-Aliassime, an opening round exit to David Goffin in Astana, and a retirement in the Paris Masters quarterfinals against eventual champion Holger Rune.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAfter the US Open it was difficult to adapt to his new role on the tour for him,\u201d explained Alcaraz\u2019s coach, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI was talking to him about how he had to manage everything but I think he needed to feel and to live it, go to a tournament and feel that pressure of being No. 1, playing matches being No. 1. It\u2019s not very easy at the beginning and at the age of 19, it\u2019s something that is not super mature to control everything that happened to him right now.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHe\u2019s in a moment where he needs to live it like this and to feel what he\u2019s going through and adapting. He knows it\u2019s going to be like this until at least the Australian Open, so he needs to try to be normal but at the same time it\u2019s not. But he has to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\nModo rehabilitaci\u00f3n activado con @JuanjoMoreno_M<\/a> y Alberto Lledo! pic.twitter.com\/Zxzk77TQgD<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) November 11, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nAlcaraz says he is fully prepared to lose his No. 1 spot, given the fierce competition at the top and the pressure of defending five titles next year. But the Spanish teenager emphasizes he would do everything to \u201crecover the number,\u201d noting how the Grand Slams would once again be his main goal for 2023.<\/p>\n
\nIf Alcaraz is ever short on inspiration on how to navigate his first year as a world No. 1, he could perhaps look no further than the women\u2019s tour, where Iga Swiatek has been thriving at the summit.<\/p>\n
\nThe 21-year-old Pole abruptly rose to the top of the rankings when Ashleigh Barty announced her surprise retirement from the sport in March.<\/p>\n
\nSwiatek grabbed the opportunity with both hands and ran with it, going on a 37-match winning streak across a five-month period before losing in the Wimbledon third round in July.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI see her year has been incredible, she broke a record I think for the longest winning streak (this century). It\u2019s amazing,\u201d Alcaraz said of Swiatek.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI wish to be like her, to not lose the No. 1. But I think it\u2019s almost impossible. I\u2019m going to lose it but the point is to recover it and stay there at No. 1 as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\nAbout the other night! pic.twitter.com\/U560MfPFbu<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) November 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nOne thing Alcaraz has in common with Swiatek is how much they believe in the importance of sports psychology in their profession.<\/p>\n
\nSwiatek has a traveling sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, with her at the majority of her events and the work they do together has proven to be a real game-changer for her.<\/p>\n
\nAlcaraz works with a psychologist named Isabel Balaguer and Ferrero says the team benefits greatly from her expertise and that \u201cshe is a big and important side of our work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been about two years he\u2019s working with her. It\u2019s not like every week but every time that he feels he needs to talk to her about something that maybe is not right or something that is giving him more troubles in a match, he talks to her and tries to fix it a little bit,\u201d said Ferrero.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI talk to her every week. She talks to me about how he\u2019s doing, how he\u2019s practicing and all the things we\u2019ve been talking about that he went through after the US Open, we\u2019re trying to handle all the package, so she\u2019s working very well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFerrero and Alcaraz have been working together since the end of 2018 and have formed a special bond. The former French Open champion sees Alcaraz as \u201canother son\u201d and feels they share the same values.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\nVamos @juankiferri<\/a>! https:\/\/t.co\/NqES3imR5I<\/p>\n
\u2014 Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) December 1, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nAlcaraz\u2019s meteoric rise has come with an incredible degree of popularity, both inside Spain and across the globe. His infectious energy, exciting game style, and humility on and off the court has taken the tennis world by storm \u2014 and the raucous Arthur Ashe stadium crowd that roared through his US Open matches in the fall was testament to that.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s very special for us, I\u2019m very happy the way that people love him and I think it\u2019s because of his strength on the court and his passion and his way to say \u2018vamos,\u2019 I think people feel this potential in him and this kind of passion,\u201d explained Ferrero.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI remember since the moment that I started working with him, we were traveling around the world when he was 16 or 17, even at that moment when he wasn\u2019t that famous, he was very charismatic at the tournaments, all the people were going there to watch Carlos on the court. It doesn\u2019t surprise me too much to see all the people loving him, he smiles, he\u2019s very kind to everyone, he\u2019s a nice guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFerrero credits Alcaraz\u2019s family for the way his charge handles himself and for not putting pressure on him.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCarlos is lucky about the family he has. His father \u2026 played tennis in Spain at a very high level, he was in the top 30, so he is able to understand how his son has to work with the coach,\u201d stated Ferrero.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m here at the academy, he let him grow up and not be involved absolutely in everything. I think his father has trusted me since the beginning and he lets me work in all areas very fluid. We have a very good relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\nThe full 2022 #MWTC<\/a> lineup<\/p>\n
Abu Dhabi’s favourite sporting event is back in December. See the best in the game take to the court only #InAbuDhabi<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Get your tickets here: https:\/\/t.co\/wiMPDoZey8#ThisIsMWTC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mUu6FCvCxb<\/a><\/p>\n