Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz smiles as he holds the winner’s trophy after beating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their men’s singles final tennis match on the last day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 16, 2023. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
LONDON– Carlos Alcaraz has lifted the lid on his secret for winning his first Wimbledon title in 2023 and defending the title a year later — partying hard in Ibiza.
In a new Netflix documentary, “Carlos Alcaraz: My Way”, the Spaniard describes how he went against the advice of his team to let his hair down on the Mediterranean island.
READ: Carlos Alcaraz leads tennis into new golden age
“I had a friend who had a few days off, going to Ibiza with other friends,” the now four-times Grand Slam champion said.
“I ended up going and they know what I’m going there to do. In Ibiza, I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty much all about partying and going out.
“I basically went there to reventar (literally, ‘burst’ in Spanish), I’m not sure if that’s the best way to put it but I went there to go out.”
It might not have been textbook preparation for Wimbledon, and his agent Albert Molina warned against it, but Alcaraz said he had to let off steam after losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 French Open semis having suffered with nerves and cramps.
READ: Carlos Alcaraz becomes youngest player in ATP top 5 since Nadal
Ibiza’s tonic paid off spectacularly too, as a few weeks later, aged 20, he beat the Serb in the Wimbledon final.
“I tried to explain to him that it might not be the best idea to go to Ibiza for three or four days on vacation when he had Queen’s the following week and then Wimbledon,” Molina said.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz holding the winner’s trophy (L) is congratulated by Serbia’s Novak Djokovic as they pose for pictures during the priz ceremony at the end of their men’s singles final at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP)
Alcaraz repeated the trick in 2024 with another Ibiza trip before the grasscourt season with his fitness coach Juanjo Moreno accusing him of being selfish.
In the documentary his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero even questions whether Alcaraz has the dedication required to emulate the likes of Djokovic and Rafa Nadal.
“He has a different way of understanding work and sacrifice,” Ferrero said, comparing him to Djokovic. “It’s so different that it makes me question whether he can really be the best in history.”
But Alcaraz has no regrets.
“They always want to protect me, but I’m getting older, I’m starting to make my own decisions and that’s what I want,” he said. “I don’t take care of myself as much, I spend a lot of days enjoying life. Maybe more than I should.
“But I want to do it my way.”
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Alcaraz, who will be 22 next month, is second seed at this week’s Madrid Masters.
