Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has made his intentions clear at the ongoing 2024 Australian Open. The Spaniard, who has won two Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon in 2023 and US Open in 2022), will be hoping to claim his first victory in the Happy Slam this year at Melbourne Park.
World No. 2 Alcaraz was recently spotted wearing NBA legend Michael Jordan’s iconic three-peat T-shirt at the Australian Open. The Spaniard’s symbolism was clear in that he was aiming for his third Grand Slam title.
Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to two three-peat championships. The first time was from 1991 to 1993. The superstar retired shortly after achieving the milestone. Between 1996 and 1998, Jordan returned to basketball and added three rings to his collection.
Only three teams have won three consecutive NBA championships, and only five times have they achieved three consecutive championships. The teams that won three consecutive championships are the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.
Alcaraz defeated French player Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round and defeated Italy 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in the second round. Player Lorenzo Sonego. Australian Open. In the third round, he led Chinese player JC Shang 6-1, 6-1, 1-0.
Alcaraz advanced to the fourth round as Shang retired in the third set with a thigh injury. This was his first time playing against players younger than him. Still only 18 years old.
“I think tennis is evolving. More and more young players are coming up. It’s great for tennis. I’m happy that I can finally play against a young player,” the Spaniard was asked in an on-court interview about the match-up. said the young man as he competed.
By the way, the Spaniard became the youngest number one in the history of the ATP rankings at the age of 19 years, 4 months and 6 days when he defeated Casper Ruud to win the US Open title in 2022.
‘It feels special,’ Carlos Alcaraz says of playing in Australian Open for the first time in week two
With a third-round victory, Carlos Alcaraz reaches the last 16 for the first time at the Australian Open. The Spaniard missed the 2023 Australian Open due to a right hamstring injury sustained during training.
“It feels special,” Alcaraz said during an on-court interview, referring to his first appearance in Melbourne in week two. “Now it’s time to move on and play better and better,” he said.
Interestingly, Alcaraz, who made his Australian Open debut in 2021, was the youngest competitor in the men’s singles that year. He defeated qualifier Botik van der Zandschulp in straight sets to win his Grand Slam debut, but lost to Mikael Immel in the second round.
During the 2022 Australian Open, Alcaraz competed in his first Grand Slam as the 31st seed, where he reached the third round but lost to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in five sets. Matteo Berrettini).