Carlos Alcaraz made an honest admission saying that he aspires to be at the same status as the “Big Three” in tennis which consists of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Federer retired from tennis in 2022 while Nadal is expected to call time on his illustrious career at the end of this year. Meanwhile, Djokovic has no intentions to retire anytime soon.
Alcaraz claimed his maiden Wimbledon title by beating Djokovic in a five-set thriller last year and is eager to defend his title this year.
“I want to be one of the best in history. I am dreaming that big,” Alcaraz said. “I want to sit [at] the same table as the ‘Big Three’, legends of our sports.
When asked if he is surprised by his quick rise, Alcaraz said: “Sometimes. Honestly, I don’t think too much about it. I just kind of live in the moment, live in the present.
“If I look back, I’ve achieved great things so far, but it’s something that I don’t want to think about and I want to keep going.”
The Spaniard then opened up on the feeling of making his return to Wimbledon as the reigning champion.
“Obviously, it’s even more special coming [back] as a defending champion,” Alcaraz added. “I’m trying not to think about the pressure that I have to defend the points or [that I] want to go far. I just want to be better every day, trying to play my best in every match and give 100%.
“I think that the difference [with] last year is I’m a little bit more mature and I know how to play on grass. I have more experiences about playing in this surface.
“For me, it doesn’t matter against who I’m going to play. Of course, everybody wants to watch Jannik [Sinner] against me in the semi-final or Jannik or me playing a final against Novak.
“I think that everybody is waiting for that moment, but it’s a really long process, really long run. Let’s see if I’m going to be in this position.”