MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz gets tattoos to celebrate Grand Slam titles, so he plans to get ink of a kangaroo if he can win the Australian Open to complete a full collection from the four most prestigious events in tennis.
Alcaraz moved closer to becoming, at age 21, the youngest man with a career Grand Slam, overcoming a bit of a blip in the first set he’s dropped at Melbourne Park this week for a 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 victory over 33rd-ranked Nuno Borges of Portugal on Friday in the third round.
He already has marked his body with the date of his first major title, which came at the 2022 U.S. Open; a strawberry to represent the first of his two Wimbledon triumphs, in 2023; the Eiffel Tower for last year’s French Open victory. What might he choose if he is the last man standing in Rod Laver Arena on Jan. 26?
“A kangaroo, that’s for sure,” Alcaraz said with a wide smile Friday. “The only thing that I’m (missing is) to lift the trophy here, but the plan and the idea is already (there).”
There was a little stretch against Borges where Alcaraz went from well in control to suddenly being unable to put a shot in the court.
It was a bit startling to watch the score go from 2-all to 6-2 in Borges’ favor during the third-set tiebreaker, thanks largely to a string of unforced errors by Alcaraz, who already owns a total of four major championships and is seeded No. 3 in Australia.
A bad backhand. A bad forehand. A bad service return. And then, on Borges’ second set point, Alcaraz missed another forehand. That set was gone. Alcaraz’s resolve and superior shot-making returned in a blink, though, and he quickly was back on his way.
Early in the fourth set, Alcaraz earned a break point and let out his familiar shout of “Vamos!” — as certain a signal as any that he was himself. He converted that for a 2-0 lead with a typically spectacular sequence: He raced forward to retrieve a short shot, then, needing to deal with a well-curled lob, sprinted back to the baseline with his back to the net and spun around to smack a forehand passing winner. Alcaraz’s momentum caused his feet to slip out from under him, so he dropped his racket and put his hands on the ground to brace himself.
Seeing that he won the point, Alcaraz rose and pointed to his right ear, seeking even louder praise from the fans, then lifted his right fist.
“I’m trying to play different tennis, showing different kinds of shots,” said Alcaraz, who next faces No. 15 Jack Draper of Britain or Aleksandar Vukic of Australia. “That’s what makes me … smile on court.”
Alcaraz has not been shy about his goals — over these two weeks or in the bigger picture. Yes, he wants to win the Australian Open for the first time (he lost in the quarterfinals a year ago). And, yes, he might care about getting back to No. 1 in the rankings and winning all sorts of tournaments, but really, his sights are on this: “Try to win as much Grand Slams as I can. That’s my main goal.”
