Carlos Alcaraz has made a good start to his run at the 2026 Australian Open, one of the most important tournaments of his season.
It's no secret that the world No.1 is keen to lift this trophy for the first time in his career, a feat that would allow him to complete the 'Career Grand Slam' before turning 23 and making tennis history.
The young Spanish ace – who has never made it past the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park – has confessed that he doesn't want to make excuses and added that he is serious about going all the way in this edition.
His performance against local idol Adam Walton yesterday was not perfect and Carlitos recognized it right away, but the verdict is positive considering that the 22-year-old from Murcia had not played any official matches before the AO and had to deal with the pressure of being without Juan Carlos Ferrero for the first time ever.
Carlitos is keen to lift this trophy
The six-time Grand Slam winner will be back in action on Wednesday against German ace Yannick Hanfmann, which shouldn't cause him too much trouble. At the same time, Carlos is aware that he has to raise his level as the rounds go by in view of the second week.
Pundits and insiders expect to witness another chapter in his rivalry with Jannik Sinner in the final, after the world's top two players faced each other in the last three Grand Slam finals.
In his press conference after the first round, Alcaraz analyzed his current level in detail: “Well, I think I hit the ball well. Could be better for sure. I am just happy because I think the things that I had to do, I did it pretty well in terms of myself, behave well, just good mindset all the time.
Every time, trying to think in positive thoughts all the time. So I think I did it pretty well, which was one of the main goals for me coming into this match. Then, in terms of level, tactics or everything, I know that I have a lot of things to be better in the next round if I want to go further.”
