'I was mad all the time,' Teenage prodigy Carlos Alcaraz reveals the secret to his beaming smile even during the most difficult of matches in a conversation with John McEnroe

Carlos Alcraz said in the post-match interview:

The pressure is there. Nerves are there. In those moments it’s tough to enjoy playing. But I have my team as well over there. When I’m struggling a little bit or I’m mad on the court, they put a smile on their faces to try to bring the joy on the court. No. When I was younger I was mad all the time.

Carlos Alcaraz said after the game

A simple smile can change the dynamics of the game and for Alcaraz, it is the key to his success. From handling pressure situations to winning matches, the youngster does it with a smile on infesting the crowd as well. However, there was once a period when even the youngster was mad all the time. He revealed that when he was younger, he used to be angry most of the time. 

Carlos Alcaraz admits to having lost momentum as he played his first match after a couple of months

Young Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz returned to tennis after a couple of months. His end to 2023 was not as he had hoped and took the entire off-season to rest and gear up for 2024. 

While many other players played pre-season tournaments to gain momentum, Alcaraz directly featured for the first time in two months at the first round of the prestigious Slam. Having just returned, the Spaniard admitted to getting used to the tournament feelings after a couple of months and would need time to get back in the zone. 

Having struggled in the first set, the Spaniard started to play better and better in the next few sets to finally win the match in straight sets. With an armory of fascinating shots, the Spaniard exploited his slices and drop shots that helped him win the match 7-6(5),6-1,6-2. On the verge of getting back his form, the 2023 Wimbledon champion advances to the second round to face Lorenzo Sonego to try and go deep into the tournament.